


Fried Green Tomatoes at the Midvale Cafe

by Schaefjc



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Brief supercat, Children of Liberty, Domestic Violence, F/F, Food Fight, Happy Ending, Historical Inaccuracy, I promise!, Lewd songs, No Lesbians Die, Racism, References to Fried Green Tomatoes, Supercorp baby, Supercorp is endgame!, Underage Drinking, Underage Relationship(s), Xenophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-02-22 20:47:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 50,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23266861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schaefjc/pseuds/Schaefjc
Summary: Lena leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You’re an old bee charmer, Kara Kent, that’s what you are…”Kara smiled back at her and looked up into the clear blue sky that reflected in her eyes, and she was as happy as anybody who is in love in the summertime can be.OrThe Fried Green Tomatoes AU
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 58
Kudos: 206





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have been waiting to read a Supercorp Fried Green Tomatoes AU for ages but it appears no one has posted one? So, here we go. Important changes: It's going to be more explicitly gay and our heroines are going to grow old together and live happily ever after. (Oh shoot, I gave away the ending!)  
>    
> To all the Supercorp and Supercat writers out there, thank you for giving me the confidence to try this! It's my first fanfiction and, not surprisingly, it's hard! Fun, but hard. If I have ever left kudos on your work, please multiply it by 100. 
> 
> My thanks (and apologies) to Fannie Flagg.

1921

Kara twisted the pendant of her mother's necklace between her fingers and stared out the car window. She tried to take in the scenery instead of thinking about how every mile the car drove was taking her farther from the only home she had ever known and how that necklace was now the only thing on Earth that belonged to her.

The car slowed as it drove through a little town, rumbled across some train tracks and came to a stop in front of a big, white, two-story house with a wrap around porch and a tall chinaberry tree in the front yard.

Jonathan Kent climbed out of the driver's seat and opened her door. "Come on in, honey. Everyone will be excited to meet you."

Martha Kent was out the front door before they could even make it up the front walk.

"Kara, it's so good to meet you!" She wrapped Kara in a warm embrace, which the girl returned, stiffly. "Welcome home, sweetie. We're so happy to have you here. Come in and let's get you settled."

"Give her some space, Martha. You'll smother her," Jonathan said from behind them and then shouted up to the house, "Clark! Come out and meet your cousin!"

A teenaged boy with dark, wavy hair and broad shoulders stepped out onto the porch. When he smiled, she was startled to catch a glimpse of her father's eyes. He reached out a hand, "Hi, Kara. It's nice to meet you. I'm Clark."

"You all must be starving after the long drive," declared Martha. "Clark, show Kara her bedroom while I scrape something up for dinner."

The Kents chatted over dinner and Kara tuned in and out of the conversation, mostly trying not to be overwhelmed by her new surroundings, by the strangers whose table she sat at, and by the completely unknown future that stretched out ahead of her. Kara forced her concentration back to the table and realized Clark was talking to her.

"His momma got run over by a car about two weeks ago so I've been taking care of him. He's real funny. He's got so much personality with his big eyes and little hands. I'm going to train him to do tricks. Do you want to meet him?"

Kara nodded, not sure what she was agreeing to. After dinner Clark led her through the kitchen, out the back door, and toward what was maybe a rabbit hutch. He whispered, soothingly, "Hi there, boy, it's just me." And reached inside to pull out a furry little gray creature with a black streak across the eyes, another white streak across the eyebrows, cute furry ears, a black nose, and a fluffy, ringed tail. Kara gasped.

It climbed up Clark's arm and began nibbling on his ear. Clark winced and pulled the creature away, setting it down next to a bowl of water.

"A neat thing about raccoons is they always wash their food before they eat, see?" He handed the creature a grape and, sure enough, it turned it over in his hands a few times, dipped it in the water, and then began to nibble. Kara smiled. Clark gave him another grape and they watched the process again.

Clark flashed a mischievous grin. "Watch this."

He pulled a cracker out of his pocket and handed it to the raccoon saying, "Here you go, boy."

The raccoon took the cracker, dipped it, and it was gone! The cracker had dissolved in the water. Befuddled, the raccoon twitched his nose and patted all around the water bowl, trying to find his cracker.

Clark gave him another grape. The raccoon washed and ate it.

He gave him another cracker. The raccoon washed it and it was gone! Again, the raccoon searched for the missing cracker. Clark chuckled. "Do you want to try?"

He gave Kara the grapes and crackers. Kara gave the raccoon a grape. He washed and ate it. Then she gave him a cracker and it disappeared again! Clark laughed out loud and even Kara giggled. She gave the raccoon another grape and scratched it behind the ears.

"So far, I've just been calling him Boy, but I think he needs a real name. Got any ideas?"

Kara studied the raccoon for a few moments and suggested, "I like Streaky, because of his eyes."

It was the first time she had spoken in more than four weeks.

\------

Kara Zorel had lived a charmed childhood. Growing up in the comfort of Little Krypton, she had everything she needed or wanted: family who loved her, a tight-knit ethnic community, and an education befitting a well-to-do Kryptonian, learning English, as well as science and philosophy and art. She was in a safe little bubble, isolated from the anti-immigrant unrest that had been sweeping the country. And then that bubble imploded, along with her tight-knit community.

Little Krypton in Leesburg, Alabama, had been settled decades before. But in recent years, the number of Kryptonians had begun to swell. Famine, civil unrest, the industrial revolution, and the aftermath of the Great War had created a migration of historical proportions. Many refugees turned to the United States, with the Mother of Exiles at her gate, raising a torch and lighting their way, welcoming the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses to her golden door. It turned out, however, that many Americans were not so welcoming as Lady Liberty. Nativist and anti-immigrant groups formed to protest the influx of Jews and Catholics, of Irish and Italians and Chinese, not to mention freed slaves, Native Americans, and anyone else trying to succeed in this country which they believed was manifestly destined to be a white, Christian nation. The most flagrant of those groups called themselves The Children of Liberty. They donned bronze masks and terrorized immigrant groups and immigration supporters. Their mission was to make the United States so hostile to immigrants that foreigners would find no safe harbor and be forced to go back where they came from or, better yet, never come at all.

Kara’s parents had positions of leadership in their community. So when the Children of Liberty touched off a riot in Little Krypton they hid their young daughter in the cellar and set out to calm the uprising. They never came back. Little Krypton burned. Young Kara hid in the darkness for three days. A police officer pulled her out of the rubble.

She was sent to the county orphanage where, by some miracle, a social worker noticed that she still had a living relative. Though she had never met him, her cousin Kal El had come through the very same orphanage as an infant, three years before Kara had been born. Kal El had been adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent of Midvale. They named him Clark and raised him as their own. Now, they adopted Kara, as well. So, at 13 years old, Kara Zorel became Kara Kent.

\-----

Her first morning in the Kent house, Kara followed a mouthwatering scent down to the kitchen. Martha and another woman were chatting while washing dishes at the sink. A chubby baby sat at the woman's feet, happily drooling all over a mixing spoon. Clark sat at the table eating his breakfast.

Martha spotted Kara waiting in the doorway.

"Oh, Kara, you're up! Come in and sit down. This is Myriah J'onzz. She helps me out around the house. The little guy is her son Mally. Myriah and her husband moved here a few years ago from Malecandra and we're lucky she did. She's the best cook in the state of Alabama! Her dumplings are so light they could float in the air."

Clark winked, "Yep, some days you have to catch them to eat 'em. You're in luck today, though. This batch mostly stays on the plate."

Mally agreed, "Blurblerblurbbbbbb." He banged his spoon on the floor.

Myriah smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Kara. Would you like a plate?"

Kara nodded and sat down across from Clark. She ate her dumplings -- _they were delicious_ \-- while the others chatted.

Clark was telling Kara about his best friend, Jimmy, when she started to hear a far off rumble. And then a roaring blast. And then another and another. Kara covered her ears. The roaring, clanging got worse. Her heart started racing. She couldn't breathe. Dark spots clouded her vision.

She was back in Little Krypton. She was in the dark, but could hear shouting, gunshots, barking dogs, breaking glass, crying. She smelled dust and smoke and dirt. She saw the glow and felt the heat of roaring fires. Tears streamed down her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and cowered deeper and tighter against the wall. She cried out, " _ZHA! IEIU!!!! UKR!!!! ZHAAAAAA!!_ " And then there was silence…

...she could hear someone talking to her. Saying gently, over and over again, "Kara, Kara? It's okay. I've got you. You're okay. It was just a train passing by. You're okay…"

Someone was next to her, holding her and rubbing her back. Kara was shaking. She forced herself to breathe and open her eyes.

It was a boy next to her. With sympathetic eyes… blue, like her father's. She took another breath. _Clark_ , she remembered.

Things started to come back into focus. They were on the floor. But under something. _A table?_

She heard another voice, a woman's. _Martha_.

"Honey, look at me. Everything's okay. You're safe here and everything's going to be okay."

Martha and Myriah were crouched down, too, peering at her through the table legs. The baby's face matched theirs staring at her with wide eyes and concern.

Myriah pushed a chair out of the way so Martha could scoot up closer to Kara. She took one of Kara's hands and held it.

"You're safe here, honey. Everything's okay. You stay under here as long as you want and you can come out when you're ready."

Myriah gave Kara a sweet smile and helped Martha stand up. Perhaps sensing that Kara wouldn't want so much attention, they quickly finished up in the kitchen. Myriah scooped Mally up onto her hip and both women went to work elsewhere in the house.

Clark stayed with her. Patiently sitting under the table.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Kara shook her head.

He was quiet again.

After some time had passed, he softly announced, "Okay, Little One, it's time to bring some snacks to Streaky."

He crawled out from under the table and Kara crawled out after him.

\----

After that, Clark took Kara outside every time a train went by. They would sit on the porch swing facing the train tracks every day at 8:15, 10:23, 4:13 and 5:45. Kara could see the trains coming and watch them without being startled. Each time, her heart would race, her whole body would tense up, she would cover her ears against the noise and squeeze her eyes shut. But Clark held her and talked her through each passing train until she got accustomed to the noise and the rhythm.

Clark introduced Kara to his friend Jimmy Olsen and Jimmy's sister Kelly. She also met Alex Danvers, a girl who was friends with Kelly and lived next door to the Kents. She got to know the other kids in the town and slowly relaxed into her new life in Midvale.

Clark, Jimmy, Kelly, and Alex all took Kara under their wing. They taught her to fish, and swim, and climb trees; things she never had a chance to do in the city. They helped her lose her Kryptonian accent and pass as a regular, all-American kid.

Myriah and her husband, J'onn, took Kara under their wing, as well. Even though they were Malecandran, rather than Kryptonian, she felt a kinship with them. They had come from a far away land, another language, and another culture, but they had made a home here, so maybe she could, too.

\----

Myriah and J'onn J'onzz were from Malecandra, an island nation in the South Pacific. Alex's dad, Jeremiah Danvers had been stationed there a few years before the United States had entered the Great War.

Malecandra had been in the midst of a civil war when the US military intervened, supporting the Malecandran rebels against colonial rule. Jeremiah had fought side by side with J'onn J'onzz and the two became good friends.

The civil war dragged on longer than American politicians and generals anticipated and in the meantime, a war in the Balkans was quickly inflaming all of Europe. Although the US was reluctant to take a side in the war in Europe, their involvement began to seem more and more inevitable. Ultimately, the Americans pulled troops out of Malecandra to prepare for the fight in Europe.

The American exit proved devastating for the Malecandrans. The colonial power quickly gained the upper hand and ruthlessly quashed the rebellion. By the time the war ended, J'onn J'onzz's home and most of his town had been destroyed, as were his dreams for a free Malecandra.

As intense as fighting a war is, most of a soldier's time is spent waiting... waiting in trenches, waiting in barracks, waiting for orders, waiting for an attack, waiting to fall asleep. Jeremiah had filled much of that downtime by sharing fond stories of his hometown. He had shared enough that after the war in Malecandra came to an end J'onn looked on Midvale as a kind of second home.

When the civil war ended and J'onn had no where else to go, he and Myriah packed up and began the long journey to America, aiming to eventually join Jeremiah and settle in Midvale.

Jeremiah and his wife Eliza did their best to help them set up their new life in Alabama. Johnathan and Martha Kent took them under their wing as well.

Anti-immigrant laws made it illegal for non-natives to buy a home there in Midvale, so, like many other newcomers, the couple settled across the tracks in nearby Calvintown. J'onn had been a police officer before the war came to Malecandra, but wasn't certified for law enforcement in Alabama, so Jonathan Kent fixed him up with a job as a butcher at the Kent General Store, which happened to be the only general store in Midvale. Martha hired Myriah as a cook and to help with chores around the house. And after taking one bite of Myriah's red beans and rice, she was glad she had. Myriah J'onzz turned out to be an amazing cook.

Myriah would save Kara the biggest slice whenever she baked sweet treats. On slow days at the general store or while fishing down at the river, J'onn would regale Alex and Kara with stories of his home in Malecandra or memories of fighting side by side with Jeremiah during the civil war. Malecandra as he knew it was lost. And Jeremiah had died in his next deployment, fighting the Kaiser in Europe. So J'onn told those stories as if it was his sacred duty to keep the memories alive. Any story about her father was precious to Alex and Kara felt honored to listen.

J'onn had spent half a dozen years now as a butcher in Midvale, but he never lost his stiff military bearing. He intimidated anyone who cast their eyes on him, with as big and dark and intense as he was. But it was clear to everyone in Midvale that he had a soft spot for Alex and Kara.

\---

Of everyone who quickly came to love her, it was Clark who Kara really took a shine to. And that feeling was mutual. Clark was 16 at the time Kara came to live with them, and he was thrilled to get a younger cousin. Kara came to Midvale hurt and angry and scared and grief-stricken, but Clark made it his mission to get her talking and smiling again.

Everywhere he went, Kara was by his side. For Kara, Clark was a connection between life in Midvale and her family in Little Krypton. But also, he was just all around considerate and outgoing. Everyone loved Clark. Boys and girls both. He had a winning smile and his kindness and charm could disarm anyone.

One time Clark came home from school and saw that Kara was pretty low. He had a football game to go to -- he and Jimmy were starters on the high school team -- and when he was leaving the house that night, he said, “Come on, Little One,” and he took her down to the football game and let her sit right on the bench with the rest of the players. That was Clark for you.

\-------

Kara had lived with the Kents a little over a year when she started wearing Clark's old clothes. She had always looked pretty in dresses, but she was a tomboy, for sure. And, as a practical measure, dresses make it much harder to run and fish and climb trees. So, one morning, she came downstairs in a pair of Clark's old pants and shirt. Clark gave her a nod and off they went to play baseball with Jimmy. After that it seemed like Kara only wore pants or overalls.

The other kids teased her a bit about dressing like a boy. She didn't like it but she swallowed it down until one day she snapped. A boy named Ben Lockwood laughed at her and called her a name. It was the last straw. She flew at him, in a frenzy of fists and kicks and insults. She got a couple of good hits in but Ben was two years older and a lot bigger. Clark had to pry Kara off of Ben. She didn't stop fighting even as he hauled her away.

"To heck with them! I'm sick of people making fun of me!"

Clark was smiling as he dragged her down the street, grinning with pride at her spit and grit.

Once Kara had calmed down Clark asked her, "Did I ever tell you about the oysters?"

Kara was still panting for breath. "The oysters?!?"

"Think about all the millions of oysters just laying around on the bottom of the ocean. God comes along and he sees one and he says, I think I'm going to make that one different. And you know what he does? He puts a little piece of sand in it. Now guess what it can do that the others can't."

"What?"

"It can make a beautiful pearl. It's like that for people, too. Sometimes God gives them an extra little bit, something inside that makes them a tiny bit different. And someone like Benny Lockwood will see that little something and think it's just a piece of sand. But they're fools. You and I know the truth. That extra little bit is actually a pearl. And you, Little One, are full of pearls."

After that Kara didn't worry about the teasing so much. She was who she was and if someone didn't understand, it meant they were fools who only saw sand. Their loss. Eventually, the other kids lost interest and got used to seeing Kara in pants.

It might also have helped that when no one was looking, Alex Danvers had twisted Ben Lockwood's arm behind his back, pinned him up against a wall, and whispered that if he messes with Kara, he messes with Alex, too.

\----

At first, Martha raised her eyes at Kara's clothing change but didn't say a word. She gave Kara the space to figure out who she was and what she wanted to wear. For her part, Martha always figured the phase would pass. But Kara kept right on wearing pants or overalls. That summer, the Kents got invited to a wedding of some friends from church. Martha approached Kara about having a new dress made for the wedding. Kara said no thank you, she wasn't interested in wearing dresses. Martha urged and urged but got nowhere.

Finally, Martha relented. Kara refused to see reason. But if Martha couldn't convince her to wear a dress, she could at least make sure her daughter looked good. She brought Kara to a seamstress and had a seersucker suit made, complete with a bow tie. At 15, Kara was still just a wisp of a girl, but she was the handsomest person at that wedding. Clark himself was sporting a white summer suit and a new straw hat he had picked out the morning before at the Kent General Store.

After the reception was over, Clark and Jimmy went down to the train station to see off their friend Lana Lang and a few other out-of-town guests who had come in for the wedding.

Martha had changed out of her wedding clothes and was out in the backyard with a pan, picking figs off her tree, and Kara was helping, except that about every fifth fig Kara picked, she fed one to Streaky, who sat in the branches making sad, hungry eyes at Kara and smiling whenever she fed him.

Martha shook her head laughing, "Kara, that spoiled little rodent is getting too fat!"

"Don't listen to her," Kara replied, scratching Streaky's head. "You're just big boned."

Streaky twitched his nose in consideration.

"Every fig you give him means less fig pie for you."

That gave Kara pause.

In the distance, they heard the train start up over at the station, and just as it pulled out, the whistle blew. Then they heard the train screech and grind to a halt, and at the same moment they heard screaming.

Kara looked at Martha, who all of a sudden clutched at her heart and fell down on her knees and cried out, “OH no, not my baby! Dear God, not my baby!”

Jonathan and J'onn had heard the noise from the store and both ran over to the station. Kara was on the front porch with Martha when the men came up the walk. The minute Kara saw the straw hat J'onn was carrying, she knew it was Clark.

He had been waving to his friend Lana as the train pulled away. He’d stepped on the parallel track, tipped his hat, and flashed a smile at her, just as the whistle blew. They say he never even heard the express train that was coming up behind him.

Clark's death shook the whole town. But the one who took it the hardest was Kara. You never saw anybody hurt so much. It was like she had died right along with him. It would break your heart to look at her.

The night after Clark's funeral, she snuck out of the house and over to the cemetery. She sat at his fresh grave, lit a candle, and cried. Through her tears she whispered what she could remember of the ancient Kryptonian prayer:

_You have been the sun of our lives._  
_Our prayers will be the sun that lights your way on the journey home._  
_We will remember you in every dawn._  
_And await the night we join you in the sky._

_Rao's will be done._

When she came home, all she did was go upstairs and sit in Clark’s room for hours on end, just sit up there in the dark. And when she couldn’t bear to be home any longer, she’d just take off and go stay with J'onn and Myriah over in Calvintown.

It seemed her heart had finally begun to heal after losing her parents, and then it got ripped in half again. After Clark died, Kara just turned inside herself.

As her cousin, Clark had been her connection between life in Midvale and her family in Little Krypton. Even though Clark was a baby when the Kents adopted him and he didn't remember anything about being Kryptonian, he still was. He was like a thread that kept her tethered to her old life. He was proof that, no matter how twisted the world got, things still made sense. Things still connected.

She had quickly come to love him. She felt safe with him in a way she didn't feel with anyone else. When she was at her worst, at her most vulnerable and lost, it was Clark who had brought her back. It was Clark who made her feel hope. And now he was gone.

And yet, everyone else kept on living. They ate and they slept and they did their chores. They went to work. They went to church. They talked. They laughed. They went to school. Kara tried to put on a smile and go through the motions. But it was hard and it felt so false that it wore her out.

She felt better in the woods. By herself, no one expected her to smile. The rocks and the birds and the trees never asked how she was and expected her to lie. They just let her be.

J'onn and Myriah and Mally let her be, too. So, when it was cold or rainy or she needed some human contact, she went to their house. She liked the foreignness. That sometimes they spoke in Malecandran. That J'onn always pronounced Myriah's name M'yri'ah and Mally's name Ma'alefa'ak. That they ate food she didn't recognize. It was different enough from the Kent house that everything that happened didn't make her think of Clark. And, although she felt awful that J'onzzes had once lost their home and everything they knew, it was comforting, too. She didn't feel so alone.

She even turned Streaky loose. She held him tight one evening and told him it was time for him to go find a family, but he'd always have a home here if he needed one. She opened the gate and set him down. She whispered goodbye as he waddled down the fence line and disappeared up into a tree.

Martha was worried sick over her. They had lost Clark and it felt like they were losing Kara, too. But Jonathan said to let her go and do what she had to do.

Course, she was never the same after that, not until she met Lena, then she started getting back to her old self. But she never really got over Clark...no one did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kryptonian translation:
> 
> ZHA! = NO!  
> IEIU! = MOTHER!  
> UKR! = FATHER!
> 
> The Riot of Little Krypton is inspired by two real-life events in American history: the Cincinnati Riot of 1855, in which an anti-immigrant mob attacked a German neighborhood called Over-the-Rhine; and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, in which mobs of white residents attacked, burned, and bombed the black residents of a neighborhood known as "Black Wall Street."
> 
> In this story I have mostly swapped America's history of racism with xenophobia. This takes place in a world where racism exists, but it is muted in comparison to anti-immigrant hatred. In the interest of not whitewashing history, I want to acknowledge the change and explain the reasoning.
> 
> The novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is basically three stories rolled into one: the story of Idgie and Ruth, the story of the Peavey Family, and the story of Evelyn Couch and her friendship with Mrs. Threadgoode. The movie, however, only focuses on Idgie and Ruth and Evelyn and Mrs. Threadgoode. I still love the movie, but by ignoring the trials and tribulations of the Peavey family, Big George and Sipsey are reduced to racist caricatures. They are inexplicably devoted to the white Threadgoode family and they lack their own agency.
> 
> I want to only tell the story of Kara and Lena (Idgie and Ruth) and skip the other two parts, but I didn't want J'onn and Myriah (Big George and my version of Sipsey) to be reduced to caricatures. I figured that by emphasizing their refugee status rather than their skin color, Supergirl fans would understand their characters and I wouldn't need to deviate very much from their Martian backgrounds.
> 
> In the show, the biggest dividing line between characters is whether they are human or alien, not whether they are black or white. Race is not ignored, but it is planetary origin which determines whether you should be feared, whether you need to hide your identity, and whether you can be locked up indefinitely and without trial in a secret DEO prison. Focusing on country of origin allows me to play with that distinction in this story. It also ties in nicely with the Children of Liberty plotline from season 4 and how Kara must feel about being an alien who passes as human. 
> 
> This story started forming in my head at a time when the news in America was constantly about expanding the border wall, deporting undocumented immigrants, family separations, arrests of asylum seekers, and blocking refugees from certain countries. Now that I am halfway through writing and posting the story, the news is all about police brutality and Black Lives Matter protests. Both crises come down to a fear and prejudice of people of color. 
> 
> For Breonna Taylor, for George Floyd, for Ahmaud Arbery, for all those who have died in ICE detention centers, for broken-hearted families ripped apart by the War in Drugs or ICE raids, for our country which praises freedom but denies it to too many...let us never stop fighting for justice.


	2. Chapter 2

1925

When Kara was in high school, she gave everybody fits. Most of the time she wouldn’t even go to school, and when she did, she would only wear a ratty old pair of overalls that had belonged to Clark. Half of the time she would be off in the woods hunting and fishing. But everybody liked her. People wanted to be around Kara. She had a big, beautiful smile, and when she wanted to, oh, she could make you laugh! 

Still, there was something about Kara that was like a wild animal...skittish, like an untamed horse. She wouldn’t let anybody get too close to her. When she thought that somebody liked her too much, she’d just take off in the woods. She broke hearts right and left. 

But after Lena came to Midvale, you never saw a change in anybody so fast in all your life.

Lena was from Viceroy, Georgia. A high school prodigy. She had come over to teach some science and technology classes through the 4-H Club. Martha supported anything that had to do with kids and would take anybody in who needed a home. So, when 4-H was looking for a place for Lena to stay, of course Martha volunteered.

Kara was not very interested in the stuffy old science teacher who would be staying in the Kent house that summer while teaching 4-H classes in Midvale. But she was curious enough to perch herself in the chinaberry tree high above the front yard and watch the road for any new cars. When a car did pull up, finally, Kara was in for a shock. Out stepped the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. Raven hair, porcelain skin, sharp jaw. Kara decided maybe she would climb down and get a closer look.

She caught up with the new arrival in the kitchen while Martha was giving a tour of the house. Kara could see now that her eyes were just as pretty as the rest of her. And green. _And pretty_ . Framed by stunning eyebrows and long lashes. _Very pretty._

Kara had been distracted while Martha was making introductions. Now both women looked at her expectantly ands realized it must be her turn to speak.

"Yes, er, to meet you. Nice. It is." She blushed and hightailed it out of the room.

"You'll have to excuse my daughter," Martha explained to Lena. "She's a bit of a wild one, not much for social graces."

\----

As soon as they saw her, all the boys in town suddenly became very interested in 4-H. Lena was twenty years old and she was so sweet, but quiet and reserved at the same time. She was real private on account of her family, but the more you knew her, the prettier she got.

Her father, Lionel Luthor, was a real successful banker, the J. P. Morgan of southern Georgia. But when her brother, Lex, who was the heir to the Luthor Corp Bank fortune, shot and killed five men trying to ward off a bank run, the Luthors lost everything. Their reputation and their investments plummeted. Lex went to jail with a life sentence.

Lionel and his wife Lillian spent many months in denial of their downfall. They maintained their gilded lifestyle going deeper and deeper into debt until one late night Lionel drove his car off a bridge, ending his life. It was never known for certain whether Lionel Luthor's death was an accident or intentional, but either way, he left Lillian and Lena deep in debt. 

Lena had a head for science and was always going on about the advancements of Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie as well as Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla. Instead of dreaming about marriage and children like most girls, she had dreams of science and innovation. While Lillian never directly encouraged her daughter's eccentricities, she had always taken a secret, quiet pride in Lena's independent and clever mind. Lena had finished high school as valedictorian and had begun studying physics at Emory University.

But Lionel's death changed things. Lena finished the semester and then dropped out of college. It was one thing to have an eccentric daughter when you were one of the wealthiest families in the South, but it was useless if you were in debt. If Lillian and Lena were ever going to have financial security again, Lena would have to marry. And, as a fairly wealthy landowner outside their hometown of Viceroy, Georgia, Morgan Edge was the most eligible bachelor.

Truth be told, Edge was a step down from the kind of man Lillian had always imagined for her daughter. He was the son of an Irish immigrant who had scraped and saved and worked until he had built up quite the acreage. She would have much preferred that her daughter marry old money, perhaps from Atlanta or Savannah, someone with a name that meant something and could solidify the Luthors' place at the head of Georgian society. Alas, Lex and Lionel's misadventures had left them with few options.

Lena dreaded the idea of marriage but she was a realist. She was shocked and grieving after her brother's arrest and her father's death. And she had already accepted that the future as she had always dreamed it was now out of her reach. The responsibility of caring for her mother and providing for herself now rested on her own shoulders like a thousand pound weight. Her mother was right, the way forward was through marriage.

When Lena cried herself to sleep at night she honestly didn't know whether she was grieving over the shock of her brother's crime, over Lex being alone and in jail, over the loss of her father, over the pain and loneliness her father must have felt before his death, or over the loss of her own dreams and goals and independence. It was all tangled up together in a terrible web of sorrow.

Her only bright spot was that the wedding would not take place until September. She had one summer left to be her own person and to follow her own dreams. She was going to travel - not far, not to Europe or New York City or anywhere worldly or romantic - just to Midvale, Alabama, about six hours away from Viceroy. Far enough that she could leave her cares behind, where people wouldn't see her and immediately think of the disappointment the Luthors had become. She could just be. And share her love of science. She wouldn't get paid, her job with 4-H was only a volunteer position, but they would provide her with room and board and transportation. 

Her summer in Midvale probably wouldn't amount to much, but it was enough. Something to fight against the world closing in around her. It had to be.

\-------

The first few days Lena was there, Kara just hung around in the chinaberry tree, staring at her whenever she went in or out of the house. Then, pretty soon she took to showing off; hanging upside down, throwing the football in the yard, and coming home with a huge string of fish over her shoulder at the same time that Lena would be coming across the street from her 4-H class.

Martha invited Alex Danvers and Kelly Olsen over for dinner figuring they would get along well with Lena. Before they ate, Martha asked Lena, “Will you please go and see if you can get my daughter to sit down like a human being and have her supper?”

Lena went out and asked Kara, who was in the tree reading her _True Detective_ magazine at the time, if she wouldn’t please come and have supper at the table tonight. Kara didn’t look at her, but said she’d think about it. 

Alex and Kelly had been introduced to Lena and they were hitting it off nicely. Everyone had been seated and had already finished saying grace when Kara came in the house and went upstairs. They could hear her upstairs in the bathroom running water, and in about five minutes, Kara, who almost never came to dinner, walked in with her face all scrubbed and her hair slicked down with some old grease that she’d found up in the medicine cabinet. Jonathan, Martha, Alex, and Kelly each fought valiantly to hide their grins but their eyes each sparkled with affection for Kara at how smitten she was over Lena and how debonair she was trying to be. Lena, with perfect grace, never faltered. She simply smiled at Kara and asked whether she cared for some string beans, which made Kara blush so bad that her ears turned as red as a tomato.

\------

The next day when Lena came home from teaching, Kara was reading on the porch. Kara blushed a little bit, just knowing Lena was near, but kept her nose in the book until Lena sat down next to her. 

"Hey, I brought something for you," Lena said as she pulled a small box out of her bag.

"What is it?"

"We made crystal radios in my circuits class today. I saved a kit for you."

Kara couldn't hide her smile. "I've seen those in magazines but never got one. How's it work?"

Inside the box was a cardboard tube, a spool of wire, a phone speaker, a base with metal clips mounted on it, and a few other odds and ends. Lena pulled out the cardboard tube and the spool of wire. "The first thing we need to do is make a tuning coil by wrapping this tube with copper wire." 

She got it started and then handed it to Kara to keep wrapping. When they finished, Lena mounted it to the base. She pulled out a small item and showed it to Kara. "This is a galena crystal, see?" 

Kara studied the tiny crystal for a moment. Lena clipped it into place and picked up an ordinary old nail. "This connects to the crystal, making a detector. The signal comes in through the coil and the crystal detector converts it into electric current, which produces a sound in the phone speaker."

They attached the two wires of the phone speaker to the rest of the radio and then Lena held the speaker to her ear while slowly sliding a metal blade across the copper coil. Kara held her breath.

Suddenly, Lena smiled. She passed the speaker to Kara, who raised it to her ear, keeping her eyes locked with Lena's.

Kara gasped when she heard a man's voice coming through the speaker. "It works!"

She listened a bit longer. The man was announcing a baseball game! 

"The coil works alright as our antenna for now, but we can make the signal stronger if we make a bigger antenna. If we do that we'd have to ground it, too."

Kara looked from Lena to the radio and back again. Her eyes were filled with wonder. "How is it even possible?"

Lena began to explain the properties of radio waves and the asymmetric electrical conduction across the contact between a crystalline mineral and a metal. But Kara didn't hear any of it. Lena was the most beautiful creature Kara had ever seen. She was not only beautiful, she was a genius, too. A miracle sent down from heaven. And this miracle had seen fit to notice Kara, give her a gift and show her how it works. Just thinking about it made Kara's heart race.

Martha and Myriah were hanging up laundry at the clothesline when they noticed Lena and Kara working together on the porch. Mally was nearby driving push cars around in the garden. Martha told Myriah about dinner the night before and concluded the obvious, "I believe Kara has a crush."

Myriah laughed and joked, "Poor Kara's been bit by the love bug."

Pretty soon after that, Kara started acting like a tame puppy. Lena so far had seemed kind of lonesome, but Kara could make her laugh, and Kara would do anything to entertain her. 

  
  


\---

  
  


Kara and Lena sat on the porch swing, rocking gently and watching the fireflies. Kara was telling a ridiculously impossible story about a flock of ducks flying away while carrying a frozen lake and both girls were in stitches with giggles when Lena noticed something creeping in the shadows up the walkway. In the darkness she could only make out two eyes reflecting the light from the porch.

"Shh! Kara, what is that?" 

When Kara saw the shadows Lena was pointing at she gave a happy yeep and hopped off the swing. 

"Hey there, fella! I haven't seen you for ages!" She scooped the shadowy creature up into her arms.

"Kara! That is a wild animal! You are going to get rabies!"

"Don't talk to him that way." Kara cooed, "He's no more wild than I am."

"That's… not actually saying much."

"This is Streaky. He was my first friend in Midvale."

"Kara, that is a raccoon."

Kara beamed. "I knew you'd like him!"

She sat back down on the porch with the raccoon in her arms. Lena scooted to the farthest corner of the swing but was gradually won over by Kara's enthusiasm and Streaky's obvious enjoyment of her attentions. Kara told her all about Clark introducing her to Streaky on her first night in Midvale, how he was a great pet but Kara set him free after Clark died, how she left a bowl of food and water out for him for months after that, just in case he got hungry, and he still comes up to the porch for a visit now and then. By the end of the night, Kara actually convinced Lena to feed him a few grapes and scratch behind his ears.

They had a fine time that summer. Lena, who tended to be a little reserved at first, learned to cut up and play games. Kara would round up Alex Danvers and Kelly Olsen, and Clark's old friend Jimmy if he was around, and whatever friends she could find and they'd all play charades or gin rummy or just sit around drinking and singing songs.

\-----

Lena had been in Midvale for about two months, and this Saturday morning, someone knocked at her bedroom window at 6 am. Lena opened her eyes and saw Kara sitting in the chinaberry tree and motioning for her to open the window.

Lena got up, half asleep. “What are you up so early for?”

“You promised we could go on a picnic today.” 

“I know, but does it have to be this early? It’s Saturday.”

“Yes, please? You promised you would!”

Lena sighed and smiled at Kara's earnestness. “Well, what about Alex or Kelly, aren’t they going to come with us?”

“No.” 

“Don’t you think we should ask them?”

“No. Please, I want you to myself. Please. I want to show you something.”

“Kara, I don’t want to hurt their feelings." 

“Oh, you won’t hurt their feelings. They don’t want to come anyhow.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Sure I’m sure,” she lied. “They said they’ve got things to do today. Come on, Lena, Myriah's already made us a lunch, just for the two of us. If you don't come right now, I'm coming in there to carry you out!"

“Alright! Let me get dressed, at least.”

“Hurry up! Don’t get all dressed up, just come on out--I'll meet you in the car.” 

“Are we going in the car?” 

“Sure. Why not?”

“Okay.”

Kara had failed to mention that she had sneaked into Jonathan and Martha’s room at 5 am and taken the keys to the Model T out of his pants pockets, and it was extremely important to get going before he woke up.

They drove way out to a place that Kara had found years ago, by Double Springs Lake, where there was a little waterfall that flowed into a deep, wide pool. 

Kara spread the blanket out and got the basket out of the car. She was being very mysterious. 

Finally, she said, “Lena, if I show you something, do you swear that you will never tell another living soul?” 

“Show me what? What is it?” 

“Do you swear? You won’t tell?”

“I swear. What is it?” 

“I’ll show you.” 

Kara reached into the picnic basket and got out an empty glass jar, said, “Let’s go,” and they walked about a mile back up into the woods. 

Kara pointed to a tree and said, “There it is!” 

“There is what?”

“That big oak tree over there.” 

“Oh.” 

She took Lena by the hand and walked her over to the left, about one hundred feet away, behind a tree, and said, “Now, Lena, you stay right here, and no matter what happens, don’t move.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Never mind, you just watch me, all right? And be quiet. Don’t make any noise, whatever you do.”

Kara started walking over to the big oak tree and about halfway there, turned to see if Lena was watching. Kara was wearing overalls with a white shirt underneath. The sun caught in her hair and skin and lit her up as if she was glowing. 

When she got about ten feet from the tree, she made sure again that Lena was still watching. Then she did the most amazing thing. She very slowly tiptoed up to it, humming very softly, and stuck her hand with the jar in it, right in the hole in the middle of the oak.

All of a sudden, Lena heard a sound like a buzz saw, and the sky went black as hordes of angry bees swarmed out of the hole.

In seconds, Kara was covered from head to foot with thousands of bees. Kara just stood there, and in a minute, carefully pulled her hand out of the tree and started walking slowly back toward Lena, still humming. By the time she had gotten back, almost all the bees had flown way and what had been a completely black figure was now Kara, standing there, grinning from ear to ear, with a jar of wild honey.

Lena, who had been scared out of her wits, slid down the tree onto the ground, and burst into tears, “I thought you were dead! Why did you do that? You could have been killed!”

Kara said, “Oh, don’t cry. I’m sorry. Here, don’t you want the honey? I got it just for you...please don’t cry. It’s all right. I do it all the time. I never get stung. Honest. Here, let me help you up, you’re getting yourself all dirty.”

She handed Lena an old blue bandana she had in her overalls pocket. Lena was still shaky, but she got up and blew her nose and wiped off her dress.

Kara tried to cheer her up. “Just think, Lena, I never did it for anybody else before. Now, nobody in the whole world knows I can do that but you. I just wanted for us to have a secret together, that’s all.”

Lena didn’t respond.

“I’m sorry, Lena, please don’t be mad at me.”

“Mad?” Lena put her arms around Kara and said, “Oh, Kara, I’m not mad at you. It’s just that I don’t know what I’d do if anything ever happened to you. I really don’t.”

Kara’s heart started pounding so hard it almost knocked her over.

After they had eaten the chicken and potato salad and all the biscuits and most of the honey, Lena leaned back against the tree and Kara put her head in her lap. “You know, Lena, I'll always protect you. Always. I'd do anything for you. Anybody that would ever hurt you, I’d kill them in a minute and not think twice about it.”

“Oh Kara, that’s a terrible thing to say.”

"All right, then, I’d die for you. How about that?"

“I'd much rather you didn't.”

“Well, I could die right now, and I wouldn’t mind. I’d be the only corpse with a smile on my face.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“I could have been killed today, couldn’t I have?”

Lena took her hand and smiled down at her, “My Kara's a bee charmer.”

“Is that what I am?”

“That’s what you are. I’ve heard there were people who could do it, but I’d never seen one before today.”

“Is it bad?”

“Nooo. It’s wonderful. Don’t you know that?”

“Naw, I thought it was crazy or something.”

“No--it’s a wonderful thing to be.”

Lena leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You’re an old bee charmer, Kara Kent, that’s what you are…”

Kara smiled back at her and looked up into the clear blue sky that reflected in her eyes, and she was as happy as anybody who is in love in the summertime can be.

\----------------------

As the summer went on, Martha worried about Lena's departure. Kara was so taken with Lena. It was the only time in Kara’s life that Martha could get Kara to do anything she wanted--all she had to do was to ask Lena to get her to do it. Kara would have jumped off a mountain backwards if Lena had asked her to. She even went to church if Lena was going, too.

Kara would be heartbroken once Lena left. So, as the end of August came around, Martha and Jonathan pleaded with Lena to stay and help them get Kara through her senior year of high school. They told her they’d pay her anything she asked. But Lena said she couldn’t. Said she was engaged to be married in the fall. 

  
  


\----

  
  


It was near the end of summer and Lena was just finishing up one of her classes when she looked up to see Kara waiting at the classroom door. Kara was dressed finer than Lena had ever seen her… a blue button-down dress shirt with rolled up sleeves, a necktie, and suspenders that accentuated her trim waist. She looked terrific, but it was her smile that sent butterflies aflight in Lena's stomach. When the class ended and the students had left, Kara walked in.

"Happy birthday!"

"Kara… It's not my birthday."

"I know, it's still in two days. But then everyone's going to want to celebrate with you and I want you to myself. C'mon, I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

Kara rolled her eyes. "A _surprise_ ," she said, emphasizing the word. "Come on, get in the car!"

Kara drove them back out to their spot by Double Springs Lake, with the waterfall and the clear pool. There was a picnic blanket and basket already set up.

"You're not going to go near those bees again are you? I don't think I could handle it."

Kara bit her lip and shrugged. "I'd be happy to, if you want. But I don't have to. This is just my favorite place." 

Lena sat down on the blanket with her and Kara pulled a jug out of the basket. She took a swig and passed it to Lena with a wink.

"What's this?"

"Jimmy Olsen makes moonshine. It's good, try some."

Lena took a sip only to wince and cough.

Kara laughed. "Maybe 'good' isn't the right word, but it grows on you."

Kara reached into the basket again, this time pulling out a deck of cards. She began to shuffle. "My birthday gift to you is that I'm going to teach you how to play poker."

Lena raised one perfect eyebrow and drawled, "What makes you think I don't already know?"

Kara's face fell.

"Lex taught me," Lena explained softly and for a moment she was lost in thought. But she shook herself out of it, leaned over, and patted Kara's knee, "Cheer up, dealer. What are we going to play?"

Kara's pout turned to a grin.

"Five card draw? Jokers wild?" Lena nodded and Kara began to deal. Lena took another sip from the jug.

An hour later they were both flush with moonshine. Kara was sweating in the hot afternoon sun and Alabama humidity. She set down her cards and looked over at the waterfall. "It's so beautiful here. We should go swimming."

"We don’t have bathing suits."

“You don’t NEED a bathing suit to swim,” says Kara, waggling her eyebrows.

“Kara Kent, I am not going skinny dipping."

Kara slipped out of her shirt and trousers, leaving only an undershirt and boxers. She scrambled up a boulder, and did a cannonball into the water. She surfaced with a huge smile and turned back to Lena who was gawking at her from the shore. 

“Come in! It’s warm!”

Lena only shook her head.

Kara started toward the shore laughing, “It’s okay, I knew you’d never jump.”

Lena set her jaw, “Never say never to me.” 

With that, she stripped down to her slip and leaped into the water -- only to shoot back up to the surface with a scream, “This is NOT warm water!!!”

Kara laughed so hard she could hardly breathe, but she swam over to Lena. “I can’t believe you jumped!”

Lena dunked her.

They swam and drank and played cards until sunset. As day turned to night, they sat at the edge of the water, wet clothes sticking to their bodies, skin glistening in the twilight. 

“Straight beats three of a kind." Lena flashed a smile and showed Kara her winning hand.

Kara collapsed backward onto the shore in frustration, "How do you always beat me!?! I swear I'm usually really good at poker!"

Lena giggled and then sighed, “Oh, Kara, what’s your mother going to say when she sees us both...drunk?”

Kara propped up on her elbows and looked at her. “You gotta stop worrying about what people think. I mean, you're always doing the right thing. You're always so poised and careful. I can tell it wears on you. It's kind of like you're living for other people instead of yourself."

"I know. It's true… I don't have a choice, really. With Lex...and my father…. I'm the only one who can look after my family, now. So, I'll take care of my mother and I'll marry the man I'm supposed to."

“What!?.... Marry?.... You’re getting married?”

“As soon as the summer’s over.”

Kara's eyes were wide and her mouth hung open as she struggled to come up with words. But Lena didn't want to talk any more about it, so she leaned over and gave Kara a quick peck on the cheek.

“Oh, I’m going to miss you! This is the best not-yet-my-birthday I ever had." And then she waded back into the water, leaving a dumbstruck Kara on the shore.

There was an awkwardness between them the rest of the evening. It wasn't until the drive back that Kara finally let herself ask, "Who is it?"

"Who's who?"

"The person you're going to marry? Who is it?"

"Oh... His name is Morgan. Morgan Edge."

"You don't love him."

"What? Sure I do."

"No, you don't. You haven't talked about him all summer."

Kara concentrated on the road ahead, lit up by the car's headlights. Lena stared out into the darkness.

"I…. I love him enough."

"You're lying."

Lena didn't look at Kara. She didn't say anything, just set her jaw and kept staring into the darkness.

"I know you're lying because you love _me_... And I love you! You should stay here."

"I can't stay here."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going back to Viceroy."

"Why!?"

"Because I'm getting married."

"WHY!?!"

“Because I want to, that’s why.”

“YOU DON'T LOVE HIM!"

While Kara had been getting angrier and angrier, Lena had sat perfectly still, detached, rigid, almost like a statue. But now she snapped.

"KARA, I LOVE HIM AND I'M GOING TO MARRY HIM!!!"

This silenced Kara for a few minutes. Until she said, so softly that Lena could barely hear, "I don't want you to go." 

Lena's eyes were burning and she had to bite her lips to keep them from trembling. If she tried to speak she might start to cry and never stop. She could not let Kara see how emotional she was so she stayed stubbornly silent. But she set her hand on Kara's knee and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"I do not do well with change," Kara whispered. 

Lena kept her hand in place and they drove the rest of the way home in silence.

\--------

It’s funny, most people can be around someone and then gradually begin to love them and never know exactly when it happened; but Lena knew the very second it happened to her. It happened the day of their first picnic. When Kara had grinned at her and tried to hand her that jar of honey, all these feelings that she had been trying to hold back came flooding through her. It was in that second she knew she loved Kara with all her heart. That’s why she had begun crying that day. She had never felt that way before and she knew she probably would never feel that way again.

And now, a month later, it was because she loved her so much that she had to leave. Kara was a seventeen-year-old kid with a crush and couldn’t possibly understand what she was saying. Kara had no idea when she was begging Lena to stay and live with them what she was asking; but Lena knew, and she realized she had to get away.

Lena had no idea why she wanted to be with Kara more than anybody else on this earth, but she did. She had prayed about it, she had cried about it; but there was no answer except to go back home and marry Morgan Edge, and try to be a good wife and mother. Lena was sure that Kara would get over her crush and get on with her life. Lena was doing the only thing she could do.

  
  


\--------

On the morning that Lena was to leave, Kara sat up in the chinaberry tree sulking and not speaking to anyone. She watched over the yard as Lena loaded up her things. Before Lena stepped into the car, she looked up at Kara and their eyes met for a long, sad moment.

Lena wished more than anything in the world that she could grab Kara and hold her as tight as she could; but if she had, she knew she would never let go.

So Lena did the hardest thing she had ever done in her life; she climbed into the car, and closed the door behind her.

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

September 1925

The next day, Kara was gone. She never did go back to school. She lacked one year of finishing. First her parents, then Clark, now Lena. She just couldn’t take it.

Kara hitched a ride from some fishermen and had been let out eight miles south of Midvale by a painted sign reading, CAT AND COMPANY RIVER CLUB. She thanked the driver and started walking up the sandy lane.

Yesterday, Lena had left to go back to Georgia, and Kara couldn’t stand to be at home anymore.

It was almost dark when she got to the big wooden gate. She could hear the music as she walked down the road and there were about nine or ten cars parked outside.

A little three-legged dog came running up to her, jumping up and down. Kara figured it belonged to Cat. As tough and sophisticated as Cat projected herself to be, she had a soft spot for underdogs. 

Kara hadn’t been down to the club for a while, but everything looked about the same. She could hear the people inside laughing, just like always.

Kara had been going down there with Clark since she was thirteen. Clark used to take her there to visit his girlfriend, Lois Lane, who was a singer at the club. It was owned by Lois' friend, Cat Grant, who used to be a singer there as well, back when it was a shabby little joint called the Daily Pickerel River Club and owned by Perry White. 

Cat started on as a waitress and bartender but had a knack for entertaining the customers. She could unite the whole room with a rousing drinking song or sober them up with a sorrowful ballad. She was also handy at drawing folks into a poker game and winning. Cat usually reserved this power for pompous, privileged asses who deserved to be drawn down a notch or two. But the way she won the Pickerel from a drunken Perry White is the stuff of legends. In fact, the story has been built up with so much epic detail - probably thanks to Cat herself - that no one except Cat and Perry knows exactly what happened. In every version, at the end of the story Cat Grant was the proud new owner of the River Club and Perry had a hangover that lasted three days.

Perry stayed on at the club running the kitchen and managing the fish and game side of things. Cat fixed up the hole-in-the-wall saloon into a grand clubhouse. She carried the finest imported liquors for those who could afford them and hooch for those who couldn't. On most days music played from the Victrola and in the evenings Cat or Lois sang sets with the house band. Occasionally, Cat would bring in touring jazz musicians from around the country. 'Count' Bassie, Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong, Veronica 'Roulette' Sinclair, and Shug 'The Queen Honeybee' Avery had all performed at Cat and Company a time or two.

Lois moved into the club and started singing there when she was 16 years old after her father, the Reverend Sam Lane, kicked her out of the house. Lois and her family had moved to Midvale from Pittsdale, Iowa, when she was eight and her sister, Lucy, was just a baby, so Reverend Lane could preach at the Midvale Baptist Church. With Martha Kent being active in the church, Clark and Lois spent a lot of time together. They fell in love as teenagers. Clark used to take Lois over to the Kent General Store and make her ice cream sodas. Lois' momma, Ella, liked Clark and the Kent family, so she was happy for the two to spend time together. 

But after Ella died, the Reverend Lane grew strict and when he found out his daughter was dating Clark, he put his foot down. Lane knew that, even though Clark was raised in Midvale, he was born a Kryptonian. And Sam Lane wanted better for his daughter. As long as Lois was living under his roof, she was not going to date any foreigner. For once, the Reverend's hot-headed daughter agreed with him. Lois packed up her things and moved out that day.

As the daughter of the Baptist preacher, Lois grew up singing in the church choir. She had a voice as smooth and sweet as molasses. So Cat Grant gave Lois a gig singing at the club and let her stay in one of the cabins until she had saved enough to pay rent.

Kara used to beg Clark to take her to the club with him, and sometimes he would. 

There was always a big gang of people out there on the weekends, and they’d play jazz music and dance and drink all night. Kara would sit with Clark while Lois would sing and she would watch the people who had driven over from Birmingham in their fancy clothes and coiffed hair.

One time, Clark pointed to Lois and said, “Golly! Look at her, Kara. Now, that’s a woman. That’s what makes life worth living.”

Perry, who was fond of Clark, laughed and slapped him on the back and said, “Well, Kent? You love her so much, make her an honest woman. When are you going to pop the question?”

“I’m trying, Mr. White," Clark said. "I'm trying to be the man she deserves, but I haven't made anything of myself, yet. When I propose, I want to have something to offer.”

Pretty soon Lois would come over and get Clark and they would go over to her cabin, and Kara would sit and listen to Perry or Cat. They were always dropping pearls of wisdom and Cat was full of stories about lunch with Prince Edward or her impressions after meeting Mata Hari.

Cat would never show it, but she was impressed with the way Kara retained every word. Kara was young and passionate, but she was wise beyond her years.

After a while, Clark and Lois would come back and he’d take Kara home. Going back, he’d tell Kara, “Everything I do, I do it with Lois in my heart. The people we love, they make us stronger. Don’t ever doubt that,” and Kara never did.

  
  


\------

But that was five years ago. On this day, Kara was angry and heartbroken and devastated that Lena had left her, but she didn't want to feel sad anymore. She didn't want to feel abandoned. So she shut off those feelings. She was going to get drunk and dance and laugh and have a good time.

When Kara walked in, Lois, who was sitting at a table drinking beer with some men, saw her right off. “Well, I'll be! Little One, what are you doing here!?!”

She hollered, “Cat! Perry! It’s Kara!”

Lois jumped up and grabbed Kara and just about squeezed the life out of her. “Where have you been all this time? Girl, we thought the dogs had ate you!”

Kara hadn't been back to the club for two years, since the day she had gone to tell Lois that Clark had been killed.

Perry came out of the kitchen. “Great Caesar's ghost, look who’s here. If it ain’t the Little One. Glad to see you.”

Lois held her out by the shoulders and looked at her. “Well, hell, not so little anymore. You've gone and grown up on us!"

Perry, who had been looking at her, said, “Damn, if you don’t look more and more like Clark every day.”

“She does, indeed. And, yet, the menu won't prepare itself. Chop-chop, Perry!” Cat said, gliding through the bar toward the kitchen as if she was not just as pleased to see Kara as Lois and Perry were. 

Lois pulled Kara over to her table. “Boys, this is a friend of mine I want you to meet, Kara Kent, Clark’s little cousin. Sit down, Short Stuff, and have a drink.”

Then Perry said, “Wait a minute, are you even old enough to have a drink?” He thought better. “Oh, what the hell! A little drink never hurt nobody none, did it, boys?”

They agreed.

As soon as Lois got over the excitement of seeing Kara, she saw that something was wrong. After a while she pulled Kara aside, "What’s the matter, Little One? You look like you just lost your best friend.”

Kara denied that there was anything the matter, and started ordering more drinks and trying to be funny. She got all liquored up and wound up dancing all over the place and acting like a fool. Lois and Cat just watched her.

Perry made her sit down and eat, around nine o’clock, but by ten she was off and running again.

Cat turned to Lois, who was concerned. “We might as well give her space, let her do what she needs to do."

About five hours later, Kara, who had made a roomful of new friends, was holding court and telling funny stories. Then somebody played a sad song about lost love, and Kara stopped right in the middle of her story, put her head down on the table, and cried. Lois, who was pretty well liquored up, herself, by this time and had been thinking about Clark all night, started to cry right along with her. The group moved on away from them to a happier table. 

After a few minutes Cat pulled Lois to her feet, promised she'd take care of Kara, and sent Lois back to her cabin to sleep it off. Cat sat down next to Kara and studied her.

Cat knew how to spot potential. She could look at a three-legged, flee-bitten stray and see the most faithful, loving dog you ever met. She could look at a run-down, hole-in-the-wall fishing club and see a speakeasy, jazz club, and gambling hall. She could look at a teenage runaway choir singer and see a world class nightclub performer. 

On this night Cat looked at Kara, a young woman in men's trousers and a button-down shirt, sleeves rolled tight over toned forearms, striking blue eyes, and golden curls flowing out of a low ponytail. Where others might see a disaster: odd, drunk, desperate, and grieving; Cat Grant saw an extraordinary woman: unique, passionate, strong, and wise beyond her years. Cat made up her mind to give Kara a soft place to fall and help her back on her feet.

She brushed a loose strand of Kara's hair, tucked it behind her ear, and asked softly, "Kara, what happened?"

Kara took a long time to answer, just staring at her drink. Finally, she wiped her eyes and whispered, "For the first time... ever, I really liked someone. Loved someone. And it didn't work. She left and it… it…"

"Hurts."

"Like hell. It just feels like this pain isn't gonna go away."

Cat handed Kara a napkin to wipe her tears. "Well, take it from a woman who has been married four times-"

"Four?"

"Four…and it hurts each time. And it won't go away, but it fades, I promise. The thing that makes women strong is that we have the guts to be vulnerable. We have the ability to feel the depths of our emotion, and we know that we will walk through it to the other side."

Cat sighed and stood up. "Come with me."

She took Kara by the hand and led her to her cabin. Once inside, Cat set down her purse, and got Kara a glass of water. She quietly walked around the cabin, locking the door, closing the blinds. 

Kara was sober enough now to awkwardly wonder what to do with herself until Cat stopped in front of her, slowly unzipped her dress, and let it fall to the floor. Kara's mouth went dry as her eyes traveled down Cat's body, revealing a black lace bra set and stockings held in place with a garter belt. Kara took a long blink and forced her eyes back up to Cat's face. 

Cat, still in her heels, stepped out of her dress toward Kara and began to play with her shirt collar.

"Kara," Cat breathed, "You can stop this any time you want, but I guarantee it'll take your mind off things for a while." And with that, Cat unbuttoned the top few buttons of Kara's shirt and kissed her deeply in the place where her shoulder meets her neck. Kara's world swirled with desire. She may have let out a soft moan. She definitely closed her eyes and held on to Cat for support. And Cat was right, for the next few hours Kara forgot her sorrow.

\----

Kara lived down at the Cat and Company River Club, on and off, for the next five years. J'onn J'onzz or Alex Danvers would often visit her at the club. Sometimes to fish. Sometimes to drink and listen to jazz music. They'd catch Kara up on the news from Midvale and pass on messages from Martha. Kara always insisted they tell Martha that she was fine and not to worry. She never stopped aching for Lena though.

  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Late September 1925

Two weeks after Lena Luthor left to go home and get married, Kara drove into Viceroy and parked on the main street, in front of the newspaper office, next to the barbershop. About an hour later, she got out and walked across the street into the grocery store on the corner. It looked very much like the Kent General Store, only bigger, with a wooden floor and high ceilings.

She wandered around, looking at all the stuff and picking up a newspaper. Soon, a balding man in a white apron said, “Can I help you, miss?”

Kara told him she’d have some saltine crackers and a couple of slices of the cheese he had out on the counter. While he was slicing the cheese, Kara said, “You don’t happen to know if Morgan Edge is in town today, do you?”

“Morgan Edge? Naw, he usually just comes on up here on Wednesday to the bank, or sometimes he gets a haircut across the street. Why? You need to see him?”

“No, I don’t even know him. I was just wondering what he looked like.”

He handed Kara her crackers and cheese. “You want anything to drink with that?”

“No, thank you, this is fine.”

He took her money. “What does he look like? Well, let’s see. A big fellow… got black hair, blue eyes. I’d say he’s a nice-looking fellow.”

“How old is he?”

“About thirty-four or thirty-five, somewhere around in there. His daddy left him about eight hundred acres of land about ten miles south of town, so he doesn’t come in much anymore.”

“Is he nice? I mean, is he well liked?”

“Morgan? Oh, I suppose so. Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering. My cousin is engaged to him and I was just wondering.”

“You’re Lena Luthor’s cousin? Oh! Now, there’s a fine person. She’s well thought of. The Luthor family can be a sore subject around here, though. Lots of folks lost a lot of money in the bank collapse. And they lost some loved ones, too, thanks to the Luthor son. But you can't blame the daughter for that. I’ve been seeing Lena Luthor around town since she was a little girl. Always so polite…. She helps out sometimes at my granddaughter's school. Which side of the family are you?”

Kara changed the subject. “I think I’d better have something to drink with these crackers.”

“I thought you would. What do you want?"

“Do you have a strawberry drink?”

He went to the drink box to get her drink. 

“It's good that Lena is going to marry Morgan. I worried what would happen to her and Mrs. Luthor after Lionel died. Are you staying with them?”

“No, I haven’t seen them yet.”

“Well, you know where the house is, don’t you? It’s just two blocks down. I can run you over there if you like. Did she know you were coming?”

“No, that's alright. I’ll tell you the truth, mister, it would be better if they didn’t know I was here. I’m just passing through on business, I’m a traveling saleswoman for the Rosebud Perfume Company.”

“You are?”

“Yes. And I’ve got a few more stops to make before I get back home, so I better be going…. I just wanted to be sure that this Morgan was okay, and I don’t want her to know that the family was worried about her. It might upset her. So, I’m just gonna go home and tell her aunt and uncle, my momma and daddy, that everything is fine, and most likely we’ll all be back for the wedding and it would just upset her to know and to think that we were asking around, so I’m just gonna head on home now, and thanks.”

The storekeeper watched the strange young woman in the railroad overalls back out of the store.

He called out, “Hey! You didn’t finish your cold drink!”

\-----

When Kara got back to the river club she absently paged through the Viceroy Times newspaper. When she saw Lena's engagement announcement, her heart just about sank through the floor.

_Viceroy Times_

_September 25, 1925_

_Mrs. Lillian Luthor and the late Mr. Lionel Luthor are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Lena Luthor, to Mr. Morgan Edge._

_Miss Luthor graduated from Viceroy High School with honors, and attended Emory University, and is well-known and respected for assisting at Viceroy High School and Lowndes County 4-H._

_Mr. Edge, graduated from Viceroy High School, and later served four years in the army._

_The couple will be married on Sunday, November 1, at Morning Dove Baptist Church. The Reverend James Dodds will officiate._

_After a two-week honeymoon in Tallulah Falls, Georgia, the couple plans to reside at the family home of the groom, ten miles south of town. The soon-to-be Mrs. Edge will continue to assist at Viceroy High School when she returns._

\-----

Alex Danvers came down to visit the river club later that week. She and Kara were planning to go fishing and celebrate Alex's entrance into the Burlington Police Academy which would start next week.

Kara was sitting on Cat's front porch when Alex walked up with her rod and tackle. Kara handed Alex the newspaper, already opened to the engagement announcement. Alex read it and sat down next to Kara.

"Ouch," offered Alex.

"Yeah."

"Hey, what are you doing with a copy of the Viceroy Times? Did you go see Lena?"

Kara huffed. "Of course not, that would be weird. Right?"

Alex looked at her poignantly, "Yes, that would definitely be weird."

"Then I didn't do it."

Alex sighed and shook her head. "Oh Kara. You are going to get yourself in trouble…. How are you doing?"

Kara shrugged.

"It'll get better. I know it's hard now, but it just takes time and space."

"I _hate_ time and space."

They were quiet for a while until Kara asked, "How's Kelly doing?"

Alex's friend, Kelly Olsen, had recently joined the Army Nurse Corps and gone to Maryland for training.

"She's doing okay. I'm so proud of her... I miss her already, though."

"Time and space, Alex. Time and space," Kara teased.

"Hmm, well, I hate time and space."

"Tell me about it."

\----

When Morgan Edge was growing up, he had adored his mother, to the point that it had disgusted his father, a bull of a man who thought nothing of knocking Morgan out of a chair or kicking him down the stairs. His mother had been the only softness and sweetness he had known as a child and he loved her with all of his heart.

When he came home from school early one day, with some feigned illness, and found his mother and his father’s brother on the floor in the kitchen, all that love turned to hate in the five seconds before he screamed and ran out of the room: the five seconds that would haunt him for as long as he lived.

At thirty-four, Morgan Edge was a vain man. His black shoes were always shined to a high spit polish, his hair was always brushed, his clothes were perfect, and he was one of the few men who received a manicure at the barbershop every week.

You could say he was a dandy. You could say he was handsome, in a black Irish sort of way, with that head of thick hair and the steel-blue eyes. 

But above all things, he was a man who got what he wanted, and he wanted Lena Luthor. He’d had just about every available girl around, including, and preferring, those he would take by force while his friends held them down. Once he had them, he was not one to want them again. One pale-blond woman, who lived on the outskirts of town now, had a little girl that looked like him, but after he had blackened her eyes and threatened her child, she no longer made any claims on him. It was clear he did not have much interest in used women. Particularly if he had been the one who’d used them.

But in town, he was known as a hale and hearty fellow, and he decided that he needed to have sons to carry on the Edge name; a name that didn’t mean anything to anybody, except that he was a man who owned a lot of land south of town.

Lena was young, pretty, certainly untouched, and needed a place for herself and her mother. What could be better? Lena should be flattered. Wasn’t he the most eligible man around? Hadn’t he courted her like a gentleman and charmed her mother?

Lena had come to believe that this handsome young man loved her, and that she should and therefore did do her best to love him.

But who could have known that the shiny shoes and handsome suits hid a bitterness that had been growing in his heart all these years?

\-----

It was the morning of Lena’s wedding; Kara had borrowed Jonathan’s car and had been parked across the street from the Morning Dove Baptist Church since seven o’clock. Four hours later, she saw Lena and her mother go into the side door of the church. Lena looked as beautiful in her wedding gown as Kara thought she would.

Later, she saw Morgan Edge and his best man arrive. She sat there watching the guests go in, one by one, until the church was full. When the usher, in his white gloves, closed the doors, her heart sank, but she could still hear the organ from inside the church when the “Wedding March” started, and she felt sick.

Kara had been drinking since six o’clock that morning and just before the bride said “I do,” everyone in the church was wondering who was outside in the car blowing their horn like that.

After a minute, Kara heard the organ start up again, and all of a sudden, the church doors burst open and Lena and Morgan came running down the steps, laughing, with people cheering and throwing rice. They jumped into the back of the waiting car and drove off.

Kara blew her horn once more. Lena looked around just as they turned the corner, a second too late to see who it was.

Kara threw up on the side of Jonathan’s car, all the way home to Alabama.

\------

April 1927

Kara, who was now nineteen, had driven over to Viceroy almost every month for over two and a half years to watch Lena going to and from church. She just wanted to make sure she was all right, and Lena never knew she’d been there.

Then one Sunday, quite unexpectedly, she drove up to Lena’s house and went to the front door and knocked. Kara herself had not known she was going to do it.

Lena’s mother, a frail woman, came to the door, smiling. “Yes?”

“Is Lena home?”

"Who's asking?"

“Would you tell her that a bee charmer from Alabama is here to see her?”

“Who?”

“Just tell her that a friend of hers from Alabama is here.”

“Oh, won’t you come in?”

“No, that’s all right. I’ll just wait out here.”

Lena’s mother went in and called up the stairs, “Lena, there is some kind of a bee person here to see you.”

“What?”

“You’ve got company on the porch.”

When Lena came down, she was taken completely by surprise. She walked out on the porch and Kara, who was trying to act casual even though her palms were sweaty and she could feel her ears burning, said, “Look, I don’t want to bother you. I know you’re probably very happy and all… I mean, I’m sure you are, but I just wanted you to know that I don’t hate you and I never did. I still want you to come back and I’m not a kid anymore, so I’m not gonna change. I still love you and I always will and I still don’t care what anybody thinks--”

Morgan called down from the bedroom, “Who is it?”

Kara started backing down the porch stairs. “I just wanted you to know that--well, I gotta go.”

Lena, who had not said a word, watched her get into the car and drive off.

There had not been a day when Lena had not thought about her.

Morgan came down the stairs and out on the porch. “Who was that?”

Lena, still watching the car that was now a black dot down the road, said, “Just a friend of mine, someone I used to know,” and walked back into the house.

\----

August 1928

It had been two years since Kara had seen Lena, but every once in a while, Kara went over to Viceroy on Wednesdays, because that was the day Morgan Edge would come into town and go to the barbershop. She would usually hang around Puckett’s Drug Store, because she had a good view of the front door of the barbershop and could see Morgan sitting in the barber's chair.

She wished she could hear what he was saying, but it was enough just to see him. He was her only link to Lena, and as long as she saw him, she knew that Lena was still there.

This Wednesday, Mrs. Puckett, a thin little old lady in black-framed glasses, was busy as usual, moving around the store, arranging things as if life depended on everything being neat and in its place.

Kara was sitting at the counter, looking across the street; watching.

“That Morgan Edge sure does talk a lot, doesn’t he? A real friendly fellow, huh?”

Mrs. Puckett was on the first step of a ladder, arranging jars of Stillman’s Freckle Cream, her back to Kara. “Some might say so, I guess.”

Kara heard a strange tone in her voice.

“What do you mean?’

“I just said, some may think so, that’s all.” She came down off the stepladder.

“Don’t you think so?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think.”

“Don’t you think he’s friendly?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t think he was friendly, did I? I guess he’s friendly enough.”

Mrs. Puckett was now poking at the boxes of Carter’s Liver Pills on the counter. Kara got off the stool and went over to her.

“What do you mean, friendly enough? Do you know something about him? Has he ever not been friendly?”

“No, he’s always pleasant enough,” she said, arranging the boxes in a row. “It’s just that I don’t like any man that’ll beat his wife.”

Kara’s heart went cold.

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I said.”

“How do you know that?”

Mrs. Puckett was now busy restacking the tins of toothpaste. “Oh, Mr. Puckett’s had to go out there and take that poor little thing medicine--more than once, I’ll tell you. He’s blackened her eye and knocked her down the stairs, and once, he broke her arm. She teaches at the high school and you never met a nicer person.” She moved on to torment the Sal Hepatica bottles. 

“That’s what liquor will do to a man, make them do crazy things they wouldn’t ordinarily do. Mr. Puckett and I are Temperance, ourselves…”

Kara was out the door and didn’t hear the last sentence.

The barber was brushing off the back of Morgan’s neck with sweet-smelling talcum powder when Kara burst into the shop. She was in a rage. She stuck her finger in Morgan’s face. “LISTEN, YOU MEALY-MOUTHED, MOLE-FACED, SON-OF-A-BITCH BASTARD! IF YOU EVER HIT LENA AGAIN, I’LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING SWINE! YOU ZHAOLAHM GHOA!"

And with that, she took her arm and knocked everything off the marble counter. Dozens of bottles of shampoo, hair tonics, hair oils, shaving lotions, and powders crashed to the floor. Before they knew what had hit them, Kara was back in her car, screeching out of town.

The barber stood there with his mouth open. It had happened so fast. He looked at Morgan in the mirror and said, “That boy must be crazy.”

The minute Kara got home to the river club, she told Cat what had happened, and was still in a rage, vowing that she was going to go back over there and get him.

Cat listened carefully. “You’re gonna go over there and get yourself killed, is what you’re gonna do. Now, you can’t go interfering in that marriage."

Poor Kara was in agony and asked Cat, “Why does she stay with him? What’s the matter with her?”

"That's just the thing, Kara. You don't know. You don't why she's in that marriage or why she stays. But if she's as smart as you say, she must have her reasons, whether you understand them or not."

Kara was still fuming, so Cat continued. "I know you want to go down there, rescue her, teach that sorry excuse for a man a lesson, and save the day. But that's just not how it works. If you go down and confront him you could make things worse for her. Hell, you might even get yourself killed. What she needs from you is to know she can count on you when and _if_ she decides she needs you. Does she know that?"

“It's not enough, Cat. I don’t care what you say, I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch someday, you wait and see.”

Cat poured Kara another drink. “No you’re not. You’re not gonna kill anyone and you’re not going back over there. You promise?”

Kara promised. Both of them know she was lying.

  
  


\------

When Lena had gone home from Midvale to marry, Morgan Edge and her mother had been at the station to meet her. Lena had forgotten how handsome he was and how glad it made her mother that Lena was getting married.

As she unpacked her things though, a note fell out of her suitcase. 

_"I hate that you're leaving. But I will always love you. -K."_

Lena took the note in trembling hands and lay down, curled up on her bed and sobbed. She allowed herself about one hour to let all those emotions wash over her, all the pain of walking away from Kara.

How had one simple girl burrowed so deeply into Lena's heart so quickly? But then, Kara wasn't simple, was she? She was the most fascinating person Lena had ever met. Kara had lost so much in her life and yet, she was still light and carefree and quick to love. Who wouldn't love her? Her smile was like the sun. Lena thought of their picnics by the waterfall and evenings on the porch swing. She longed to reach out and hug Kara again, to hold her and be held by her…. And then she thought of walking away and she steeled her heart once more.

Lena was a fool to have all these feelings. Feelings that couldn't go anywhere. She had a job to do, a role to play in this world, and it was to marry Morgan Edge.

She stood up, she wiped her tears, and she tucked the note in the back of her Bible. She willed herself never to think of that note again. And then she went downstairs to see her mother.

She kept busy with wedding preparations and social obligations and she tried to shut out any thoughts of Midvale. But sometimes, in the middle of a crowd or alone at night, she never knew when it was going to happen, Kara would suddenly come to mind, and she would want to see her so badly that the pain of longing sometimes took her breath away.

Whenever it happened, she would pray and beg God to take such thoughts out of her head. She knew that she must be where she should be and doing the right thing. She would get over missing Kara. Surely, surely, this feeling would pass in time....

She had gone to her wedding bed determined to be a good, loving wife, no matter what, holding nothing back. That’s why it had been such a shock when Morgan had taken her with so much violence--almost as if he were punishing her. After he was finished, she lay there in her own blood and he got up and went into the other room to sleep. 

He never came back to her bed unless he wanted sex; and then, nine times out of ten, it had been because he was too drunk or too lazy to go into town.

Lena couldn’t help but think that something inside of her had caused him to hate her. That somehow, no matter how hard she tried to suppress it, Morgan felt the love inside she had for Kara. It had slipped out somehow, in her voice, her touch; she didn’t know how, but she believed he must have known and that’s why he despised her. So she had lived with that guilt and taken the beatings and the insults because she thought she deserved them.

But then she caught him forcing himself on one of the poor girls he had working for them. When Lena had tried to stop it, he kicked her down a flight of stairs.

By the time she understood what kind of man he was, it was too late. Lena’s mother was sick, and she couldn’t leave. So, she had no choice but to bear it.

On the nights he would come to her, mean and drunk, she’d lie there and pray and think about her time in Midvale to keep from going crazy.

\------

September 1929

The doctor came out of her mother’s room. “Mrs. Edge, she’s started to talk a little, you might want to go in and sit with her.” 

Lena went in and sat down.

Her mother, who hadn’t spoken in a week, opened her eyes. She squeezed her daughter's hand and whispered, “You get away from him…. Lena, promise me. He’s awful. I hear things, Lena… you get away… promise me…."

It was the first time this proud woman had ever said anything about Morgan. Lena nodded and held her hand. That afternoon, the doctor closed her mother’s eyes for good.

Lena cried for her mother and, an hour later, went upstairs, washed her face, and addressed the envelope to Kara.

After she sealed it, she went over to the window and looked up at the blue sky. She took a deep breath of fresh air and felt her heart rising like a kite that some child had just released to the heavens.

\-----

When Martha Kent saw the letter from Lena arrive in the mail, she threw open the back door and hollered for J’onn, who was out in the garden with Mally. 

“J’onn, do you think you'll see Kara today?"

"I didn't expect to. Why do you ask?"

"She's got a letter here from Lena that I'm sure she's going to want right away."

"I don't mind bringing it to her. I can head over right now."

"Wait,... J'onn,… maybe you should bring Kara back here to read it," Martha said, tentatively. "We don't know what this is about and I can't stand the idea of her being set off again."

J'onn nodded. "She'll be okay. I'll keep an eye on her as she reads it."

"Well, take Jonathan's car, then you can come back and let me know how it goes."

She handed J'onn the envelope. 

"And for God's sake, hurry! I can't stand not knowing!"

J'onn found Kara down at the river club, pouring drinks for the late afternoon crowd. Cat sat at the bar across from her. 

J'onn hurried in and gave Kara the letter. She smiled at him. 

"What's this?"

When Kara saw who the letter was from, it was like time stopped moving. She took the letter and carefully opened it. 

First, she pulled out a newspaper clipping. It was Lena's mother's obituary.

The next paper was a page torn out of the Bible, with one part underlined. It was from the Book of Ruth.

_Ruth 1:16:_

_Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God._

The next part made Kara gasp. It was the note she had tucked in Lena's suitcase all those years ago. Only, on the back, Lena had written, "It's time."

That's all it was. No letter at all. Kara read the items over and over. Then she set each piece of paper on the bar, smoothed them out, and slid them over to Cat. Her heart was racing.

"Does this mean what I think it means?"

Cat read the pages and set them back down on the bar. She took a deep breath and gave Kara a bittersweet smile, knowing Kara would never be hers again.

"Looks like it's finally time for you to go get Lena."

Kara gave a short laugh of joy and disbelief and as the invisible weight she'd been carrying these four years finally lifted. She started for the door.

"Slow down, Kara! You'll get her in the morning -- if you leave now, it'll be dark before you get there. For now, go back to Midvale and round up a couple of men to go with you in case that good-for-nothing husband gives you any trouble. I'll have Perry meet you in the morning. He can go, too."

J'onn spoke up, "I'll go, too. And I can give you a ride back to Midvale."

Cat nodded at the plan and then began to walk away as if she had a long list of important things to take care of. Kara stopped her.

"Cat!"

Cat turned to look at Kara, who closed the distance between them in a few strides. She wrapped Cat in a tight hug, which Cat begrudgingly melted into. "Thank you, Cat... for everything."

Cat held the embrace a few more moments and then patted Kara on the back. Stepping away, she offered, "Good luck, Kara. Now, go get your girl." 

And she strode off to the privacy of her office.

J'onn and Kara drove back to Midvale to tell Martha and Jonathan the news. 

  
  


\-----

A car and truck pulled up in front of the Edge house. J’onn and Kara were in the truck; Perry White, Jimmy Olsen and his friend, Tommy Tompkins, were in the Model T.

Lena, who had been dressed and waiting since early that morning, hoping they would come today, stepped out the door.

They all got out and waited in the yard, while Kara went up on the front porch.

Lena looked at her and said, “I’m ready.”

Kara went to hug her, but Lena remained stiff. Kara understood why when she heard footsteps coming through the house toward the porch.

Morgan Edge had been taking a nap when he heard them drive up. He came down the stairs and recognized Kara through the screen.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

He threw open the door and was heading for them when he saw the four men standing in the yard.

Kara stepped back but couldn't bring herself to let go of Lena. She asked quietly, “Where’s your trunk?”

“Upstairs.”

Kara called to Jimmy, “It’s upstairs.”

She took Lena by the hand and led her to the truck.

Jimmy, Tommy, and Perry marched past Morgan to get Lena's things. The man spluttered, “What the hell’s going on?”

“I think your wife’s leaving you, son,” Perry replied.

Lena had gotten into the truck with Kara still holding her hand. Morgan started toward them.

Kara concentrated on pulling together all her strength and courage and hope and love and sending it down her arm and into Lena through their joined hands. Lena held on tighter.

J’onn J'onzz stepped between Morgan and the door of the truck. He stood at his full height, dark and imposing, looming over Morgan.

Jimmy yelled down from the top of the stairs, “I wouldn't get Big J'onn mad, mister. He’s crazy!”

J'onn took a knife out of his pocket, eyes on Morgan. 

Morgan stopped in his tracks.

J'onn took out an apple and calmly began to core it.

Lena’s trunk was in the back of the truck, and they were headed down the driveway before Morgan knew what had happened. But as an afterthought, and for the benefit of Bruno Mannheim, his hired hand, who had witnessed the exit, Morgan Edge screamed at the dust the cars had stirred up, “And don’t you come back, you frigid bitch! You whore! You cold-hearted whore!”

The next day, he went into town and told everyone that Lena had gone completely out of her mind with grief after her mother died. He had been forced to have her committed to an insane asylum, outside of Atlanta.

Kara didn't let go of Lena's hand until they got home to Midvale.

\-----

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kryptonian translation:*
> 
> ZHAOLAHM GHOA! = MOTHER FUCKER! (more or less)
> 
> *Everything I know about Kryptonian swear words, I learned by reading Argyle_S's epic series Future Shock: https://archiveofourown.org/series/962457
> 
> I am in no way an expert in domestic abuse. Cat's advise to Kara is a very shortened version of what I found on the website for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you or someone you know is being abused, please call 1-800-799-7233 or visit https://www.thehotline.org/help/


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments! ♥️

September 1929

Martha and Jonathan were on the front porch waiting. Martha and Myriah had been fixing up Lena’s room all morning. And now, Myriah and Mally were in the kitchen making biscuits.

“Remember, Martha, don’t jump at her and scare her off. Just be calm and wait and see. Don’t make her think she has to stay. Don’t put any pressure on her.”

Martha was fidgeting with her handkerchief and pulling at her hair, a sure sign that she was nervous. I won’t. I’ll just say how glad we are to see her...that’s all right, isn’t it? Let her know she’s welcome? You’re going to say how glad you are to see her, aren’t you?”

“Of course I will,” Jonathan said. “But I just don’t want you getting your hopes up too much, that’s all.”

After a minute of silence, he asked, “Martha...do you think she’ll stay?”

“I pray to the Lord she does.”

At that moment, the truck, with Lena and Kara, turned the corner.

Jonathan said, “They’re here! Myriah, Mally, they’re here!’

Martha jumped up and flew down the front steps, with Jonathan right behind her.

When they saw Lena get out of the car and how thin and weary she looked, they forgot their plan and grabbed her and hugged her, both talking to her at the same time.

“I’m so glad you’re home, honey. We’re not gonna let you run off from us this time.”

“We got your old room ready, and Myriah's been cooking all morning.”

As they walked Lena up the stairs, Martha turned and looked back down at Kara.

“You better behave yourself this time, young lady! Do you hear me?”

Kara looked baffled and said to herself as she followed them inside, “What’d I do?”

After supper, Lena went into the parlor with Martha and Jonathan and closed the door. She sat across from them with her hands in her lap, and began, “I don’t have any money, I really don’t have anything but my clothes. But I can work. I want you both to know that I'll never leave again. I should never have left her four years ago, I know that now. But I’m going to try and make it up to her and never hurt her again. You have my word on that.”

Jonathan, who was embarrassed at any sort of sentiment, shifted in his chair. “Well, I hope you’re aware of what you’re in for. Kara’s a handful, you know.”

Martha shushed him. “Oh Jonathan, Lena knows that. Don’t you, dear? It’s just that she has a wild streak. Jonathan and I just want you to know that we think of you as one of the family now, and we couldn’t be happier for our little girl to have such a sweet companion as you.”

Lena got up and kissed both of them and went outside. She sat down with Kara who was waiting in the backyard, lying in the grass, listening to crickets, and wondering why she felt so drunk when she had not had a drop to drink.

After Lena left the room, Jonathan said, “See, I told you you didn’t have anything to worry about.”

“Me? You were the one who was worried, not me,” Martha said, and went back to her needlework.

\---

After everyone had turned in for the night, Kara tiptoed down the hall to check on Lena. She was sitting on the bed in her nightgown just hugging her knees and staring out the window.

“Hey,” Kara said softly. "Is there anything you need, before I go to sleep?"

Lena shook her head. "Martha and Jonathan have thought of everything and then some. I've got towels, extra blankets, spare clothes, snacks, a glass of water, there's probably even a kitchen sink around here somewhere."

Kara nodded from the doorway. They both smiled awkwardly, watching each other, unsure of what to do next.

“Maybe I could tuck you in?" Kara offered, hopefully.

Lena nodded with a soft, shy smile. She started scooting back to slide under the covers. Kara walked to the side of the bed and hesitated, glancing at the bed and then the door and back at Lena. 

“I want to stay. Can I stay here...with you? I'd like to stay -- but only if you want!” She had sat down on the side of the bed and then jumped back up, correcting herself.

Lena let out a huff, and made space in the covers for both of them. Kara slid in, fitting herself in next to Lena.

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah,” Lena swallowed, “Yeah, I want you to stay.” She reached over and turned out the light.

“Always,” whispered Kara. She kissed the back of Lena's head and rested her head right there on the pillow where Lena's hair would tickle her nose. Kara closed her eyes and revelled in her other senses. She and Lena weren't quite touching but Lena was all around her. She could smell her hair and hear her breathing. She could feel the warmth of Lena's body. Kara was in heaven, but she wanted even more. She placed her hand on Lena's waist over the blanket. Lena took Kara's hand, entwined their fingers, and tilted her head so her temple was touching Kara's forehead.

They had been like that for a few minutes when Lena asked, "Kara… Can you ever forgive me?"

"Forgive you?"

"For leaving?"

"Oh, Lena, I forgave you the day you left."

"You don't hate me?'

"No! I could never hate you. I hated God, I hated the world, I hated life, I hated everything, but I never hated you."

Lena wrapped her arms around Kara and pulled in closer, close enough to rest her head on her shoulder. For the first time in years, Lena fell asleep feeling completely relaxed and safe.

The next day, she changed her name back to Luthor and Kara went all over town and told everybody about poor Lena’s husband, how a Brink's armored truck had turned over on him and squashed him to death. 

\----

In the evening they were sitting on the porch swing... watching the sunset, holding hands, and talking about nothing. They were quiet for a while when Lena caught Kara watching her. 

"What is it?" Lena asked, self-consciously.

"Uh," Kara blushed and looked away. But she gathered her confidence and forced the words out, "I wanna- I want to kiss you." 

Then she corrected herself, "I'm going to kiss you."

She tried again, "I want to kiss you? If that's alright?"

Lena arched an eyebrow. Kara found it distractingly beautiful and she forgot words. 

Lena prodded her, "Have you decided yet?"

"Decided what?"

"Whether you want to kiss me?"

Kara nodded emphatically, "I'm sure that I do."

Lena grinned, "Well then, are you going to?"

"I hope so. I want to. If you want to? Should I-"

"Kara!" Lena stopped Kara's ramble, placed her hands on either side of Kara's face and slowly pulled her in for a kiss.

Kara let out a soft hum and threaded her fingers through Lena's hair, taking control of the kiss, and then slowly pulling away.

"Wow."

They both relaxed back into the swing, quiet. Until Lena suggested, "We could do it again?"

Kara nodded vigorously. "Good thinking!"

\----

When Kara tiptoed to Lena's room that night, the door was already opened a crack. Kara poked her head in, "Hey."

Lena had been reading in bed, propped up against the headboard. Her face lit up when Kara stepped into the room.

"Hey, I hoped you'd come. Come here."

She patted the bed and Kara sat down beside her, tucking her legs under the covers and leaning against the headboard just like Lena. She had brought a small box with her which she set in Lena's lap.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

Lena slid it open. Inside, a chain necklace and stone pendant were arranged on tissue paper. The stone was one Lena had never seen before. Smooth and white, with an otherworldly iridescence.

"It's beautiful."

"It used to be my mother's. I saved it after our home... burned. A family heirloom. It's pretty much the last thing I have of my parents and everything from before Midvale. It's always reminded me of home. Not just Little Krypton, but the _idea_ of home. You know, where the people you love are, a place of comfort, where you feel like you belong.

"I used to wear it all the time...but… I stopped wearing it after Clark died. It was like...I didn't know what home was anymore. I didn't think I'd feel at home ever again… but now… I want you to have it." 

She looked up at Lena with hopeful blue eyes.

"Kara, I can't take your mother's necklace. That's something you should keep."

Kara thought for a moment and then said earnestly, "This is me keeping it. I'm keeping it in my most treasured place. The place where I've finally found a home…. You. You already have my heart. It would make me really happy if you would have this, too."

Lena couldn't speak. She gazed into Kara's eyes and tried to convey all the love and affection and awe she felt in that moment. She nodded slightly, never breaking eye contact.

Kara sighed, a happy and relieved smile spread across her face. She pulled the necklace out of the box. "Can I put it on?"

Lena gave another slight nod. She brushed her long black hair to the side and Kara fastened it around Lena's neck with trembling fingers. Once it was fastened, she released the chain and let it fall to Lena's skin. She leaned in and lightly pressed her lips to the clasp. Kara held her lips there barely brushing Lena's skin and breathing her scent. 

Goosebumps rose all over Lena's body. She trembled and leaned into Kara's touch. Their lips brushed. Soft kisses grew hungrier. Their tongues met and Lena let out a soft moan. Kara pivoted, carefully swinging her leg over and straddling Lena's lap. She put her hands on either side of Lena's head and pinned her with a kiss.

Lena flinched back. She pushed on Kara's sternum and turned her head away from the kiss. "We should go to sleep. It's getting late."

Kara felt the shock of cold air when Lena pulled away. She stared dumbly at Lena for a moment, unable to process what just happened. 

"It's not really that late, is it?"

"I'm really tired though. It's been a long couple of days."

Kara nodded. "Sure. You're right. You should get some sleep."

She climbed off of Lena and over to her side of the bed. "Did you… Did you still want me to stay? Should I go back to my room so you can rest?"

"You should stay. Please? If you want to?"

"I want to."

Lena pulled up the covers and turned to face the wall. Kara slid under the covers, totally confused as to what just happened.

\----

The next night when Kara came to Lena's room, the door was open, but Lena already seemed to be asleep. Kara quietly closed the door behind her and climbed into bed. She very gently started drawing light circles and patterns on Lena's back. Lena hummed, "Mmm, that feels nice."

Kara scooted closer and began a proper massage, rubbing her hands over Lena's shoulders and down her back, kneading out the tension, and loving Lena's soft little mews and sighs. She skimmed over Lena's bottom and worked on her thighs. Down her beautiful calves and to her perfect feet. She kissed her toes and the soles of her feet.

"Kara!" Lena giggled, pulling her feet back from the tickly kisses.

Kara kissed over her ankles and up her shins. As her lips reached Lena's knees, she slid her hand under the hem of her nightgown and up her thigh.

Lena jumped and pulled away. "That's enough."

Kara tried not to pout, but she couldn't help looking like a hurt puppy. 

"Sorry," she mumbled as she slumped back to her pillow.

  
  


\----

The next night Lena seemed to be asleep again. So once more, Kara quietly climbed into bed and began tracing soft patterns on Lena's back.

"Not tonight," Lena whispered.

Kara pulled back and stared at the ceiling. Eventually, she looked over at Lena, who was curled up facing the wall.

"Hey," she offered. Lena didn't answer.

"What's going on?"

Lena turned toward Kara but didn't look her in the eye. She shook her head, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Don't be sorry. Just talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

Lena shook her head again.

Kara sighed. "Look, I love you. I want to be with you. Really _with_ you. But if you don't feel the same way, I'll back off. I'd understand...I should probably go back to my own room anyway."

"No! Kara, don't go! I love you, too. I want you to stay… I want YOU."

"Then what's going on? Why do you keep pulling away!?"

"I-" Lena struggled with the words. "I want you. I love kissing you. You're so sweet and kind, and… amazing."

"Okay?"

"But then... sometimes… I get this feeling like I'm up in that room, waiting for him to come in for me, and I'm just... it's like I go cold and I can't breathe and I just… can't be touched. I'm sorry, Kara. I'm so sorry!"

Kara sat there, mouth agape, dread and anger twisting in her stomach at the thought of Morgan Edge coming anywhere near Lena. She shook her head and reached for Lena.

"Oh, baby. You have nothing to apologize for! I'm so sorry. I didn't realize-" suddenly, she jumped back, "Is this okay? Should I not touch you?"

"No! No, this is okay. This is good," Lena leaned into Kara. 

Kara loosely held Lena, letting Lena guide their embrace. 

"This is good. Can we stay like this for a while?"

"Of course. Of course," said Kara as she settled in. "Anything you want. We can stay like this forever."

\----

Kara and Lena settled into a routine. Kara would help Jonathan at the store. Lena would help Martha and Myriah around the house. Sometimes they would watch Mally, who was nine years old now, so J'onn and Myriah could have time to themselves. Lena even showed him how to clean a car battery with a bottle of Coke and how to work Kara's old crystal radio set, which they had modified with a ground wire and antenna for improved reception.

And every night Kara tiptoed to Lena's bedroom. They cuddled and kissed and fell asleep in each other's arms.

\----

Alex Danvers had completed the police academy and got a job as a railroad detective. She had worked for the railroad for two years when the town sheriff, Grady Kilgore, suffered a heart attack and retired at the age of 73. Alex was elected as his replacement but stayed on part time at the railroad. Her friend, Kelly Olsen, still served in the Army Nurse Corps but, as it was peace time, she mainly worked at Hillman Hospital in Birmingham. 

A few weeks after Lena had moved back to Midvale, Alex and Kara decided to take Kelly and Lena down to the river club.

Lois was on stage singing "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" when they walked in. It was busy for a Thursday evening and there was a nice energy to the room. Cat was leaning against the bar chatting up Maxwell Lorde, a business tycoon from Birmingham and frequent patron at Cat and Company. 

The foursome found a table and Kara and Alex went to the bar for drinks. Kara didn't wait for service, just stepped behind the bar to help herself. 

Cat nodded to Alex and said, "Kara, I see you're bringing the police into my establishment again."

"And a fine fishing establishment it is. I'd have to shut it down if I saw any liquor sales taking place." She took a long sip of her beer and winked conspiratorially. 

Kara raised her Gin and Tonic and clicked Alex's bottle. Cat didn't have to worry about the police shutting down Cat and Company, the department wouldn't know where else to drink.

While Alex and Kara were at the bar, Kelly leaned across the table to talk to Lena.

"I'm glad you decided to come out with us. Honestly, I was surprised you two wanted to come down to the river club, considering Cat and Kara's history."

"Cat and Kara have history?"

Kelly's jaw dropped open and her eyes bulged a bit. She schooled her expression in a hurry, but Lena still noticed.

"What is it?"

"Maybe you should talk to Kara about that…"

Lena pressed, "What kind of history?"

"Nothing. They used to be together, that's all."

"Oh...Well, I was gone for four years. It wouldn't be fair for me to expect her not to see anyone for that long." Lena tried to reason away the hurt she felt, "It makes sense that she would have dated some, right? How long were they together?"

"Oh...not long, I suppose. Only... about... from the day you left to the day before you got back to Midvale."

"Kelly! That's four years! In what universe is that not a long time!?!"

Kelly looked apologetic. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know Kara hadn't told you about it. If it makes you feel better, Kara was heartbroken after you left and, as I understand it, she went back to Midvale as soon as you wrote."

Lena sighed. "No, that doesn't make me feel better. Cat probably wants to kill me."

The two looked over at Cat, glamorously lounging against the bar and looking out at the room as if she owned it, of course, she did own it.

"Don't be silly. If Cat wanted you dead, she'd get someone else to do it. Come on, she's Cat Grant."

Lena groaned.

Alex and Kara brought their drinks over and sat down at the table. Lena and Kelly were both glaring at Kara.

"What’d I do?”

Kelly shook her head, "Uh-uh… Kara, _this_ is not the time."

Lois finished her set and came over.

"Hey, Short Stuff, I've missed you!"

She sat down next to Kara but leaned around her to talk to Lena.

"You must be Lena! I've heard so much about you from the Little One, here. But I can't tell in this light... Alex what do you think? _Are_ her eyes as green as a meadow after the rain?"

Lena blushed and Kara wanted to climb under the table.

Alex shook her head. "No, the way I heard it, they're greener."

"Are you done yet?" Kara asked, hoping for a quick end to the teasing.

"Not nearly!" Lois laughed and took a sip of Kara's drink. "Lena, it is SO nice to meet you."

Alex reached over with her beer and tapped Lois' (formerly Kara's) glass.

Just then, Leslie Willis, a river club regular, called over from another table, "Hey Danvers, how 'bout a song?"

"And... that's my escape!" Kara took her drink back from Lois, downed the rest of it, and headed for the stage.

She said a few words to the piano player, stepped up to the stage, and adjusted the microphone.

"This is for you, Leslie," Kara said with a wink. Leslie catcalled and cheered from her table.

_They brought the beast to Derbytown…_

Leslie catcalled again and a few other regulars began laughing and cheering.

_And drove him with a stick,_

_And all the girls in Derbytown_

_Paid a quarter to see his ---_

_Maybe you don't believe me,_

_Maybe you think it's a lie,_

_But if you'd been down to Derbytown_

_You'd seen the same as I._

_The legs upon this monster,_

_They grew so far apart,_

_That all the girls in Derbytown_

_Could hear him when he ---_

_Maybe you don't believe me,_

_Maybe you think it's a lie,_

_But if you'd been down to Derbytown_

_You'd seen the same as I._

_The hair upon this monster,_

_It grew so very thick,_

_That none of the girls in Derbytown_

_Could see the head of his ---_

_Maybe you don't believe me,_

_Maybe you think it's a lie,_

_But if you'd been down to Derbytown_

_You'd seen the same as I._

_The horns upon this monster,_

_They grew up solid brass._

_One grew out of his forehead_

_And the other grew out of his ---_

_Maybe you don't believe me,_

_Maybe you think it's a lie,_

_But if you'd been down to Derbytown_

_You'd seen the same as I._

_There's something else I'd like to say,_

_Now what do you think of this?_

_The folks would come from miles around_

_Just to watch him take a ---_

_Maybe you don't believe me,_

_Maybe you think it's a lie,_

_But if you'd been down to Derbytown_

_You'd seen the same as I._

_The garbage bill was awful,_

_And it cost us quite a bit,_

_But we had to keep a special truck_

_To haul away the ---_

_Maybe you don't believe me,_

_Maybe you think it's a lie,_

_But if you'd been down to Derbytown_

_You'd seen the same as I._

_The man that owned this ram, sir_

_He was very rich._

_But the one who sang this song, sir_

_Is a lying son-of-a ---_

_Maybe you don't believe me,_

_Maybe you think it's a lie,_

_But if you'd been down to Derbytown_

_You'd seen the same as I._

Lena had never heard Kara sing before. She had a lovely voice, if not for the song choice. The bar seemed to love it though. By the end of the song, almost everyone was laughing and singing along to the chorus. 

Kara reached the last verse and nodded to the piano player. They transitioned to "In the Jailhouse Now." Much of the bar continued to sing along.

Lois turned to Lena. "So, have you met Cat, yet?"

Lena sighed, "Not yet. I suppose it's inevitable though."

"Come on," said Lois. "I'll introduce you."

Alex stopped them. "Do you think that's wise?"

Lois nodded. "They're bound to meet sometime and I'd rather it be in front of the sheriff and a room full of people."

Alex thought it over, "Sound point." She turned to Lena and gave her a reassuring pat on the arm, "You'll be fine… probably."

"Why, Sheriff Danvers," Lena baited. "Are you afraid of Cat Grant?"

Alex sat taller and puffed up her chest, "Hell no!! I do, however, have a healthy respect for the way she can reduce lesser men to whimpering babies with nothing but a glare."

Lois and Kelly nodded in agreement, having witnessed said glare in action. But the statement rankled Lena. She stood tall. " _I_ am not 'lesser men.'"

"That's right, you aren't!" Alex cheered.

"You got this!" Kelly affirmed.

Lois led Lena to the bar and told her, "Honestly, Cat's going to be fine. She'll never show it, but she'll be touched that you're coming over to say hi."

They stopped to get more drinks first and Lois got hors d’age cognac for Cat. 

"Whatever it is, Cat drawled, "I can already tell I'm not going like it if you're plying me with drinks, Lois." 

She took a sip from the glass and hummed appreciatively, "Excellent choice though."

"Cat, this is Lena Luthor, Kara's friend."

Cat looked Lena over and said nothing.

"Well, then," piped Lois. "Cat, Lena, Lena, Cat. Good luck, Lena. Gotta go!"

Lena and Cat both watched Lois hurry off to another table. Lena began to feel a kinship with those lesser men whom Cat had left whimpering like babies. She scrambled to start the conversation.

"So, you and Kara."

Cat leveled Lena with a long appraising look. Lena was tempted to shrink away. However, she reminded herself, she was a Luthor. And while she had lost every _thing_ that had once gone with being a Luthor - their wealth, their home, a certain future, even her actual family - one thing had been instilled which could not be taken away, and that was poise. She was a Luthor, damnit. No one could glare her into submission.

Lena squared her shoulders. She leveled Cat's appraising look with a look of her own.

Finally, Cat accepted. "Yes, me and Kara. Honestly, I'm surprised she told you about that."

"Oh," fumbled Lena. "She didn't.'

Cat dipped her head in acknowledgement. "That can only mean one thing..."

Lena deflated. "It means that I underestimated how much Kara's life had changed in the four years I was gone and somehow I've naively or selfishly avoided asking her about it."

Cat considered Lena's response and waved her hand in a way that was both elegant and acquiescing.

"I suppose it might mean two things, then. Yours, perhaps. But also, that Kara in her boundless optimism believes you and I could be friends and she doesn't want to let a little thing like truth stand in the way."

Cat said "boundless optimism," as if it were both disdainful and inspiring.

Now, it was Lena who studied Cat. "Do you love her?"

Cat was about to deny it, but then she looked across the room at Kara and softened. 

"I do love her. Anyone who doesn't is a fool. But I promise you, it's a different kind of love." 

Lena raised an eyebrow in question and Cat glanced down at the pendant draped over the neckline of Lena's dress.

"She never gave me that necklace for one. She certainly wouldn't have waited four years for me, nor I her… And I wouldn't have wanted her to either. We were there for each other at a time we both needed someone. I was in a whirlwind of failed relationships and Kara was… an unexpected counterbalance to help me find stability, while I was there to nurse her back to health after a broken heart."

Cat thought for a while and then added, "If you want my blessing, you have it. Kara deserves to be happy. But I will say this, I picked her up and put her back together when you left the first time, do NOT make me do it again."

Cat leveled Lena with a withering glare. "The woods around here are deep, plenty of places to hide a body." She flashed a sinister smile and strutted away to speak to an acquaintance.

\---

Kara had returned to their table while Cat and Lena were still talking. "Where's Lena?"

She followed Alex and Kelly's eyes to see Lena and Cat at the bar. Kara's face blanched. She wrinkled her forehead and worried her lower lip.

"What do you think they're talking about?"

Alex smacked Kara in the head, "YOU, you big idiot!'

When Lena returned to their table she felt surprisingly lighter. Lois had begun to sing again so Lena pulled Kara to her feet and led her off to dance.

\---

Lena had been back with Kara for about two months when she noticed her stomach pooching out. She had also been feeling ill in the mornings and exhausted most of the time. She went to the doctor and found out she was expecting.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs featured in this chapter:
> 
> Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight  
> <https://youtu.be/o4bXDKticro>
> 
>   
> Beast of Derbyshire  
> <https://www.loc.gov/item/2017700922>
> 
> In the Jailhouse Now  
> <https://youtu.be/p3L2qf3q-ok>


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments and kudos. I love getting your feedback!
> 
> See the end notes for Kryptonian translations and song links.

January 1930

Lena grabbed hold of Kara and deepened their kiss, pressing closer and closer. She gazed into Kara's endless blue eyes and grinded down onto Kara's hand, panting harder and harder, faster and faster. She gasped and screamed as an orgasm rocked through her body and then collapsed, breathless, on the bed. She felt loose and dreamy and still so turned on.

Slowly, she became aware of Kara whispering her name and shaking her gently.

"Shh, shh, Lena, it's okay, I'm here. I've got you. You're okay. Everything's okay."

"What?" Lena whispered back, groggy from sleep.

"You were having a nightmare, but it's okay. I'm here."

Lena sat up in bed, confused and still somewhat breathless. The moment she pieced together what had happened, she jerked her eyes away from Kara and felt a blush rise up her face.

"It wasn't-," she had to clear her throat. "Um...it wasn't a nightmare." 

She tried to act natural but wasn't sure where to look.

"It wasn't a nightmare? But you were-" Kara stopped mid-sentence and studied Lena, who was turning redder by the minute.

Kara's jaw dropped and then she began to grin. "Lena Luthor, as I live and breathe. Were you having a sex dream!?!"

"Shut up!" whispered Lena, and pushed Kara on the shoulder. "It's perfectly normal for women to have... sensual dreams when they're pregnant. There's increased blood flow to the genitals… combined with the rise in estrogen levels. It's just science."

Kara's grin brightened from dopey to proud as Lena spoke. She leaned in closer and whispered, "Was I in it?"

Lena pulled the sheets over her head, "Shut up!"

Kara cackled triumphantly and nuzzled up to Lena. "Wanna tell me about it?" 

Lena could hear the cocky smile even if she couldn't see her. 

She tried to sound stern but couldn't suppress a giggle. "Shut up, Kara. Don't wake your parents."

Kara wrapped her arms around Lena and pulled her into a tighter spoon. They both grinned like idiots until halfway through the morning. 

\-----

Kara worked at the general store quite absentmindedly that day. She couldn't stop imagining Lena's dream and she was so lost in her thoughts that she startled and blushed any time someone spoke to her.

Kara was content with the way things were between her and Lena. At least she tried to be. To love Lena and to be loved by her was all Kara had dreamed of for the past four years. Lena was everything. Beautiful and strong and wise and brave and beautiful. Lena deserved anything she wanted. But Kara knew the amazing sensations which could be stirred with a touch of the hand or a kiss to the right place and, oh, how she wanted Lena feel those things as well. 

Kara never wanted to push Lena. Her only experience of intimacy had been violent and cruel and unthinkable. She needed time to heal and deserved to go at her own pace. But now that Kara knew Lena was having dreams about sex… apparently good sex...she wanted to try again, in a way that let Lena know she was safe and in control.

The next night, as they settled into bed, Kara tried, "Do me a favor and close your eyes."

"Why?" Usually they talked for a while before going to sleep, but this was an unusual request.

Kara chuckled. "Because I'm trying to do something nice. I want you to imagine something."

Lena eyed her suspiciously and then settled back in her pillow and closed her eyes.

"If you could go away to any place, where would it be? Like a favorite place or somewhere you'd like to visit?"

Lena thought for a moment. "Remember that place by the waterfall? Where we had picnics?"

"Of course."

"That's where I'd go. That's my favorite place."

Kara's heart fluttered a bit and she smiled in the darkness. "That's my favorite place, too," she whispered, settling down next to Lena. 

"Imagine that's where we are then. The blanket is spread out. We've been... eating strawberries and sipping wine… and now we're lying on the blanket, stretched out, side by side. The sun is warming our skin."

Kara propped herself up on her elbow. "Your eyes are closed, just enjoying the sun, and I've been running my fingers through your hair and over your cheeks and forehead, just like this…"

Kara caressed Lena's face and hair.

"And I lean over and kiss you..."

Kara leaned over and gave Lena a slow kiss on the lips. Lena opened her eyes and started to interrupt.

Kara hushed her, "Shhh, we're at the waterfall. Close your eyes."

Lena huffed but she leaned back and closed her eyes.

Kara smiled, "Okay, where were we?"

Even through Lena's closed lids, Kara could see her roll her eyes. A soft smile played on Lena's lips. "We were on the blanket and you were kissing me."

Kara returned to Lena's lips and began kissing a path along her jaw and below her ear. Kara paused there, lips playing near Lena's neck. 

Kara whispered, hot against Lena's neck, "What happens next?"

Lena hesitated. She had to gather the confidence to voice her thoughts. Her heart was racing, but she thought back to their first picnic and said, "You feed me some of that honey."

"Mmm," hummed Kara as she dipped a finger into Lena's mouth. Lena felt a pull of heat from between her legs as she imagined sucking honey off Kara's fingertips. Kara took her fingers away and kissed her deeply, tongue gliding against tongue. Lena pulled Kara closer and Kara nudged her knee between Lena's.

But then Kara pulled back. Lena chased her lips and looked puzzled when she didn't find them. Kara laughed softly, "Hold on."

She pulled off her shirt and leaned back down into the kiss. Lena's hands met Kara's skin and the touch was electrifying. She ran her hands over Kara's back and moaned, pressing into Kara's thigh until Kara broke the kiss again, panting. 

She whispered, "I don't want to do anything you want to do… Just staying like this is perfect… Kissing you...is perfect." She went in for another long kiss and then gently twisted the satin sleeve of Lena's nightgown between her fingers. "How would you feel about taking this off?" 

Lena stilled and opened her eyes. Kara's face was inches from hers, eyes wide and searching and patient and kind. Lena brought a hand to Kara's face and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She swallowed, eyes still locked with Kara's, and then began pulling off her nightgown. 

She trembled, whether it was from nerves or the cool air or the hungry look in her lover's eyes, Lena didn't know. Kara pulled the sheets up to keep her warm.

Lena eyed the sheets even as she snuggled into them. "I thought we were on a picnic?"

Kara smiled, "Yeah, well...I came prepared...the forecast said there'd be a chill in the air tonight."

Lena giggled.

"Close your eyes," Kara whispered and slowly placed a kiss on each of Lena's eyelids, and on her cheek, and on her lips. 

"So, to recap, we're by the waterfall, on a blanket, under a sheet, which I've cleverly brought along...the sun has set-"

"A minute ago the sun was warming our skin," Lena smirked as she pulled Kara closer.

"We've been kissing quite a while." Kara kissed her again, nuzzled into her neck, and caressed Lena's arm. 

Their bare torsos were touching, which made it very hard for Kara to concentrate. She was intensely aware of Lena's breasts, full and bare beneath the blanket. She ached to touch them, but instead, she licked her dry lips and went on speaking. Her voice was a bit husky.

"The sun has set, the fireflies are out, the crickets are chirping... you've eaten all the honey…"

Lena giggled again and Kara whispered in her ear, "What happens next?"

Lena kept her eyes closed but turned to face Kara. "I," she shook her head, "I don't know."

"Do you want to stop?"

Lena shook her head again, "No."

"How about I try a few things and you tell me if you like it or if you don't?"

"Okay," Lena said, trembling again.

Kara kissed her on the forehead and then, again, on the lips. She caught Lena's lower lip between her teeth and pulled. She kissed along her jawline, down her neck, and across her chest until she dipped her head and lathed a nipple with the flat of her tongue, then sucked it into her mouth causing a bolt of lightning to shoot between Lena's legs.

Lena gasped, "Kara!"

Kara sucked again, and Lena gasped, thrusting her pelvis up toward Kara.

Kara hesitated, "Good?"

Lena whimpered and dug her fingers into Kara's hair.

Kara stayed where she was and looked up at Lena for confirmation.

"Good! Yes, good." 

"Should I keep going?"

Lena nodded her head and gasped, "Yes!" She could feel Kara smile against her skin. 

Kara palmed Lena's other breast and traced over the taught nipple with her thumb, then followed with her mouth. She peppered kisses downward toward Lena's swelling abdomen. 

Kara paused there with wonder and awe and love, knowing that a baby was right there, growing inside Lena's amazing body, and she whispered, "I love you… _zrhueiao leena, te. Zhao w rrip. Zhao zhindif w rrip._ "

She came to the waistband of Lena's knickers, pulled them down enough to plant a kiss at Lena's belly button, and let them snap back into place. Lena had stilled, her breathing was heavy, her fingers were still tangled in Kara's hair.

"Lena? Love?"

"Mmm…"

"You okay?"

"Mmm... good."

"Say my name."

"K-Kara?"

"I just want to know you're still with me."

Kara took one of Lena's hands, kissed her palm, and entwined their fingers. "Should I keep going?"

Lena nodded. Kara returned to her spot by Lena's waistband. Her nose tickled Lena's skin. "Say my name again."

"Kara…," Lena breathed and scratched lightly at Kara's scalp with her free hand.

Kara smiled against Lena's belly. "Mmm...I like that."

She kissed her way over Lena's hip, down one thigh and across to the other, her lips leaving a warm, damp trail though the satin.

"Kara… Kara…" Lena sighed, breath getting faster.

"Kara!" Lena gasped and her back arched when Kara pressed a slow kiss right to her center.

Kara kissed again, this time open mouthed, warm and wet. Heat erupted from Lena's groin and trembled through her body. She let out a long groan, squeezing Kara's hand and hair tighter when Kara did it again.

"Should we take these off?" Kara tugged at the nickers and her voice vibrated through Lena's body. 

Lena nodded rapidly, "Yes, god, please!"

Together, they hurriedly pushed off the knickers and Kara returned to Lena, hot mouth, right on her center. This time, the heat was molten. Lena gasped, grabbed Kara by the hair and pressed into her.

Kara moaned and licked and Lena shuttered with pleasure. Her hips rocked. Kara wrapped her arms around Lena's thighs and held her firmly, licking lightly and then with pressure then light and quick again. Lena chanced a look down to see Kara between her legs. Their eyes met just as Kara sucked Lena's clit into her hot, wet, talented mouth. Lena's whole body erupted in pleasure. "Oh, God, KARA!"

She rode out the waves of her orgasm against Kara's mouth and collapsed into the bed. Kara made her way back up to Lena's side and sighed into her ear, "You are so beautiful. _Rao, zhao w rrip_."

Lena felt like Jell-O. She laid there, catching her breath. "That was amazing. My ears are ringing, is that normal? I think you broke me."

She rolled over and rested her head on Kara's chest. Lena's long, dark hair spilled over her porcelain shoulders. With her green eyes, and sated expression, this version of Lena was the most beautiful sight Kara had ever seen. She ran her fingers through Lena's hair.

"You're not broken. And you're stronger than you think. But I will gladly spend the rest of my life taking you apart and putting you together again, if you let me."

Lena pushed up on her elbow. "I love you, Kara." 

She leaned in and kissed her and then looked up and down Kara's body appreciatively.

"Why do you still have pants on?"

\-----

Lena's belly grew bigger. They ordered a crib from the Sears catalog and Kara and Jonathan assembled it in Lena's room. Martha and Myriah and Lena began sewing baby clothes. Everyone was thrilled for the baby and they all doted on Lena. Kara no longer pretended to sleep in her own room at night and she moved some of her things into Lena's.

One day Kara came home from the store and found Lena at the kitchen table, staring out the window with her hand on her belly. Her belly wasn't full yet, but it had begun to bulge enough to see even in a loose dress.

Lena didn't notice her come in, so Kara paused in the doorway to simply enjoy the sight. She took in the graceful line of Lena's neck, the curve of her jaw, and the sunlight playing on her dark hair. And she thanked Rao once more for Lena's safety and her presence in Kara's life.

"Hey, how was your day?" Kara crossed the kitchen and kissed Lena on the cheek.

"I felt the baby kick."

"That's great!" Kara's face lit up, but Lena didn't match her expression. She kept staring out the window.

"That's good, isn't it? What's wrong?"

"Kara, what's this baby going to be like?"

"Brilliant and pretty, just like her momma."

Kara tilted her head trying to see the problem.

"What if he takes after his father? All that hate and cruelty? And his uncle is in jail for life. Lex killed _five_ people, Kara. And my dad...ended his own life. This baby has terrible genetics. What if it's a…?"

"Stop." Kara knelt down beside her and took Lena's face in her hands to look in her eyes. 

"Whatever you're about to say, stop," Kara pleaded. She put her hand on Lena's belly. 

"This baby is going to be good. Do you know how I know?" 

Lena shook her head.

"Because _you_ are good. Lena, you are going to be the best mother ever. You're so sweet with Mally, you're good with _all_ kids. And you're patient and caring. You're going to be amazing. The kid is pretty much sure to be a genius.

"And I'll be there, too. If it's a boy, I'll make sure he has a good sense of humor and knows how to fish and treats his momma right. And, if it's a girl... I'll do all those things, too. This baby is going to be surrounded with love. It has you and me and Martha and Jonathan and Alex and Myriah and J'onn and Mally. There are so many people who love it, already. And love you. We're going to be a good family with a great kid."

Lena couldn't help but smile as Kara went on. But when she finished, Lena took her hand and looked worriedly out the window again. When she spoke next, it was a whisper.

"What if he comes back? What if Morgan finds out about the baby and comes back for it?"

"That won't happen."

"How can you know that!? It's his baby, too. He could take the baby away and there's nothing we could do to stop him."

"It won't happen," Kara said firmly. She squeezed Lena's hand and then stood up tall. She looked out the window herself now, glaring, as if Morgan Edge was right there in the yard. She put her hands on her hips. "If he so much as _tries_ to hurt you or this baby I'll...well, I'll think of something."

Lena watched Kara shake away the tension and turn her attention back to the kitchen. 

"Have you had anything to eat lately? Let me get you a snack."

As she moved about the kitchen, Kara went on talking. "Did I tell you Myriah gave me a new recipe for beans and rice? Yes, she did, but she said it's very important that you only use 239 beans. You have to count it out exactly. Do you know why?"

Kara looked at Lena waiting for a response and Lena only raised an eyebrow, so Kara continued with a big grin.

"Because just one more and it would be too farty." 

Lena groaned but a tiny smile played at her lips. Kara took it for a win. 

She set an iced cold glass of sweet tea down in front of Lena, along with a plate of cheese and crackers. Then Kara sat down next to her and entwined their fingers. 

"We're going to be okay, I promise."

  
  


\---

It was an afternoon in May when the time came to send for Dr. Hamilton, the town doctor. Lena asked Kelly Olsen to help with the delivery because she was a nurse and Lena's close friend. Kara was there, too. Everyone else - Martha, Jonathan, Alex, J'onn, Mariah, and Mally - was downstairs just fretting and waiting for news.

Her back ached and the contractions were getting worse. Lena needed a distraction from the pain and the worry. She turned to Kara, who was holding her hand and looking pretty nervous herself. "Sing to me?"

Kara thought for a moment and began a lovely Irish ballad.

_We left the parlor early_

_The hour was scarcely nine_

_And by some happy fortune_

_Her room was next to mine_

_And I like bold Columbus_

_New regions to explore_

_I took a bold position_

_By the keyhole in the door._

"Oh my God, Kara! Is every song you know rude!?!"

"This isn't rude at all! At least it has a sweet ending. Just listen." Kara continued.

_I waited there most patiently_

_Upon my bended knee_

_I waited there most patiently_

_To see what I could see_

_She first took off her collar_

_It fell down on the floor_

_I saw her stoop to get it_

_Through the keyhole in the door._

"How is that not rude? It's terribly invasive!

_She then unloosed her tresses_

_Her waving chestnut hair_

_Which fell in streaming torrents_

_All down her shoulders bare_

_Then quickly she rebound them_

_More firmly than before_

_While I watched this witching process_

_Through the keyhole in the door_

Kara was looking at Lena with loving eyes. Lena huffed and shook her head, "Don't look at me like that, you dirty scoundrel."

"Okay, okay, I'll skip ahead. Just listen."

Kelly and Dr. Hamilton were smiling, but wisely not getting involved.

_Then before the fireplace_

_Her little feet to warm_

_And nothing but her shimmey_

_Concealed her lovely form_

_Oh, do take off that shimmey_

_I will ask for nothing more_

_And then I saw her do it_

_Through the keyhole in the door_

Lena was glaring at Kara when another contraction struck. She squeezed her hand and hung on until it passed. Kara continued softly.

_Now all you men of science_

_Why strain your eager eyes_

_A-gazing at the planets_

_That deck the starry skies?_

_Talk of your wealth_

_And all your worldly lore_

_But a telescope is nothing_

_To a keyhole in the door._

"See? It says a woman is more beautiful than the stars. Don't you agree? I think it's true of you, at least." Kara flashed her most dashing smile.

Lena felt weak in the knees, but refused to admit it. "God, you're annoying!"

She couldn't hide her smile or blush though and Kara recognized her victory. They held hands through the next contraction and Kara began a new song.

"This better not be about spying on naked ladies."

Kara just smiled and sang a catchy tune.

_A boy and a girl_

_in the woods did play_

_Saw a big black bear_

_a-coming their way_

_The boy in fright_

_up a tree did climb_

_The girl ran to the woods_

_with a bare behind._

That time Kelly laughed out loud. Now, Lena glared at Kelly, "Don't encourage her!"

Lena groaned through another contraction and then Kara was ready with another song.

_A girl from the city_

_went out to milk a cow_

_She thought she'd try_

_but she didn't know how_

_Farmer came out said_

_you made a mistake_

_That cow that you're milkin,_

_his name is Jake._

Lena threw her pillow at Kara. 

_A teacher in school_

_gave a lesson on the stars_

_Asked little Johnny_

_if he ever saw Mars_

_Johnny looked up,_

_answered so cute_

_I never saw Ma's but,_

_gee, Pa's got a beaut._

Eventually, Lena's contractions became too frequent and too intense for Kara to continue her dumb songs. She just hummed to Lena and held her hand, while Lena pushed and pushed. 

Finally, a seven-pound, squirming, bundle of boy squeezed his way out into the world. Kelly swaddled him and handed him to Kara, who handed him to Lena. They all agreed he was perfect.

Kara ran downstairs to share the news. "It's a boy!" She shouted, doling out hugs and cigars. And then she followed Martha and Jonathan back upstairs to meet their new grandbaby.

Martha hugged Lena and took a good look at the baby. "Oh look, Kara, he’s got your hair!”

And he did. He had blue eyes and blonde hair, just like Kara. They named him Clark Kent, Jr. From then on, all Kara wanted to do was gaze at Lena and their beautiful baby. 

That same day, Jonathan sat Kara down. He told her that she’d better figure out what she wanted to do, now that she was going to be responsible for Lena and a baby. And he gave her five hundred dollars to start a business. That’s how she bought the cafe.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kryptonian:
> 
> I love you… _zrhueiao leena, te. Zhao w rrip. Zhao zhindif w rrip._ = I love you, my beautiful Lena. I love you forever.
> 
>  _Rao, zhao w rrip_. = God, I love you.
> 
> Song links:
> 
> _Through the Keyhole in the Door_  
> [ https://www.loc.gov/item/2017701446/ ](https://www.loc.gov/item/2017701446/)
> 
> _A Boy and a Girl, A Girl from the City,_ and _A Teacher in School_ (selections from _Dogs)_  
> [ https://www.loc.gov/item/2017701493 ](https://www.loc.gov/item/2017701493/)


	7. Chapter 7

July 1930

Kara and Lena bought a little shop building that had been vacant for a few months and they turned it into a cafe. Kara built wooden booths for the cafe. Jonathan, J'onn, and Mally helped her build a room in the back so she and Lena would have a place to live. 

Lena tried to fix the place up. She put up a picture of a ship sailing in the moonlight, but Kara came right along behind her and took it down and stuck up a picture she found of a bunch of dogs sitting around a card table, smoking cigars and playing poker. And she wrote underneath it, Department of Extranormal Operations. That was the name of a crazy club that she and Alex had started. Other than the Christmas decorations they put up the first year that Kara never did take down and an old railroad calendar. That was it.

There were only about four tables and a bunch of uncertain chairs. They didn't even have a cash register, just kept the money in a cigar box and made change out of that. At the counter they had potato chips and pig skins on a rack, combs and chewing tobacco, fishing lures and little corncob pipes.

J'onn did the butcherin' and the barbecuin' but Myriah was the cook and she could work wonders in the kitchen. Her momma had taught her all the traditional recipes in her younger days back in Malecandra. Martha taught her classic southern recipes like grits, cornbread, and biscuits and gravy, but Myriah had a magic touch that just made everything better. She picked up lots of old country recipes from her friends and neighbors in Calvintown, too. By the time Kara and Lena opened the cafe, Myriah could make comfort food from every part of the world. The day Kara first tasted Myriah’s potstickers, Kara proposed to her on the spot. Lena and Myriah were dear friends, but Lena gave Myriah the side eye for days after that.

Kara would open the place at daybreak and didn’t close until, as she said, “the last dog was hung.” Lena would take Clark, Jr, over to the Kent house and Martha would watch him while Kara and Lena worked in the cafe.

The big L&N switching yard was only two blocks down the street, and all the railroad people ate there. It was the only restaurant in town and the perfect place to visit with friends or catch up on local gossip. Plus, they had a brand new Philco radio which Lena had tweaked the antenna for, so it got the best reception in town. Sometimes they'd all just sit around and listen to The Palmolive Hour or The Grand Ol' Opry.

\----

It was a quiet afternoon at the cafe. The lunch crowd had all left and the dinner crowd hadn’t yet arrived. Lena was in the kitchen teaching Kara how to make fried green tomatoes. The first batch had just finished frying and Kara offered one to Lena for a taste test. 

“Here, try this.”

Lena blew a little steam off before taking a bite. It was burnt. And way too salty.

“So, what do you think?”

“They’re okay,” she lied.

“The truth.” Kara pushed.

“Well…" Lena hedged, but Kara just kept looking at her expectantly, so she reluctantly admitted, “They’re terrible.”

Kara huffed. “Oh, well, don’t be shy! Tell me how you really feel!” 

“I will.”

Kara laughed at Lena’s brutal honesty, but did not handle the criticism gracefully. Instead, she picked up her glass of water, which was mostly empty anyway, and splashed it in Lena’s face.

“What was that for!?!” gasped Lena.

“I thought you needed a little cooling off."

“Is that right?” Lena blinked the water out of her face and considered her options. She picked up a full glass of water and dumped it down Kara’s back.

Kara gasped at the cold water, but didn’t say a thing. She just picked up a handful of blackberries and smeared them into Lena’s face. 

“Try these,” she snickered.

Lena didn’t even look, she just grabbed the nearest thing, which may have been chocolate icing, and smeared it into Kara’s face.

Now they were giggling hard enough that they needed to hold onto each other to keep from falling down. Lena tossed a handful of flour onto Kara and the powder coated both of them. Kara lost her balance and pulled Lena down with her.

That’s when Sheriff Alex Danvers walked into the cafe and heard the commotion in the kitchen. She went back to investigate and found Lena and Kara in a heap on the floor, squealing with laughter, arms and legs entangled, and covered in a mess of food.

“What in the name of Christmas are you two doing!?!?!?”

“She’s trying to teach me how to cook!” guffawed Kara. And Lena, the heretofore sophisticated and refined Lena Luthor, actually snorted!

“Look at those fried green tomatoes!” 

They could barely talk for laughing but they made an effort to stand up and look decent.

“Mmhmm…” Alex gave them a long look of judgement as the two held onto each other, flushed, snickering, and trying to catch their breath.

“Lena, I believe Kara has been a bad influence on you.”

“I agree,” giggled Lena and they both collapsed in another fit of laughter, still wrapped in each other's arms.

Alex shook her head. She looked back and forth between Lena and Kara. Those two were always casting love eyes at each other, but this was a whole new level. They looked like teenagers caught necking on the porch... and covered in food.

She glared at Kara, “If you two have sex in this kitchen, I’m reporting you to the health department.” 

Alex casually turned around and walked out of the cafe without looking back. She flipped the sign in the window to read SORRY...WE’RE CLOSED on her way out the door.

Lena turned to Kara, cheeks blushing red and eyes sparkling with laughter, she wiped some chocolate off Kara's jaw and licked it off her finger. Taking in Kara's gorgeous smile, she couldn't resist leaning in to suck on the remaining smear.

The air left Kara's lungs and she grabbed onto Lena's hips for support, pulling her close. "You know," Kara said in a voice that was suddenly very breathless, "maybe Alex had a good idea."

"Mmmm, not here though," Lena replied. "We've only been open for a week. Don't want the Board of Health after us already."

She gave Kara a wink and a slow kiss. And then pulled Kara into the back room. 

\----

Myriah was busy frying up a batch of green tomatoes for the lunch crowd, due in about 11:30, when Querl Dox knocked at the kitchen door.

Myriah came out into the cafe, wiping her hands on her apron. “Kara, there's a man here asking to speak with you.”

Kara went to the screen door and immediately recognized Querl, a friend of hers from Calvintown. Everyone called him Brainy because he had been a university professor in his home country. Now, he worked over at the railroad yard. 

“Well hey there, Brainy. How are you?”

“I am doing very well, Miss Kent.”

Brainy's formal speech and thick accent always made Kara smile.

“What can I do for you?”

“Miss Kent, several of my companions and I have been enjoying the savory aroma of the cafe barbeque every day as we labor at the rail yard. The scent is most delicious. And so - we hoped - perchance, you might be willing to sell us each a barbeque sandwich?"

Kara sighed and shook her head. “Let me tell you something, Brainy. You know that if it was up to me, I’d have you come on in the front door and sit at a table, but you know I can’t do that.”

“Yes, I understand.” Brainy began to walk away disappointed, but Kara continued.

“There’s a bunch in town that would burn me down in a minute, and I’ve got to make a living.”

“Yes. Certainly. I understand that.”

“But I want you to go back over to the yard and tell your friends, anytime they want anything, just to come on around to the kitchen door.”

He grinned. “Yes, Miss Kent. They will be delighted to hear it.”

“Myriah, give him his barbecue and anything else he wants. Give him some pie, too.”

Myriah shook her head and mumbled under her breath, “You're going to get yourself in a whole lot of trouble with Agent Liberty.”

But she fixed the sandwiches and got drinks and pie and put them in a paper sack with a napkin for him.

\----

About three days later, Alex came in as Kara was closing up the cafe. 

"Hey, we need to talk."

"Sure," said Kara. "What's up?"

"Have you been serving immigrants at the cafe?"

"Yeah, I guess…mostly just Brainy and his friends from the yard."

Alex closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kara, what were you thinking!?"

The question left Kara speechless for a moment. "I was _thinking_ that this is a cafe and people were hungry. I can't believe _you_ have a problem with it!"

Alex took a breath. "I don't. Kara, you know that _I_ don't. But there are some people in this town that aren't too happy about it.”

"Who? Who isn't happy about it."

Alex shook her head in frustration. "The kind of people who could make problems for you if you don't listen. I don't like it any more than you, but you know better than anybody, that there are _some_ people who don't like how many immigrants are moving to this country and they'll do anything they can to put a stop to it."

Kara shrugged off Alex's advice. "People will get used to it. Cat serves immigrants and she doesn't have a problem."

"Kara, Cat runs a speakeasy. It's already illegal. But she's so deep in the woods nobody cares what she does. That's how she gets away with it. But _you_ run a cafe that's right in the middle of town. The people who care about this, they have a lot of power. They can do terrible things and get away with it. And they don't want to see immigrants treated as equals right in front of their faces."

"I'm an immigrant. I'm in front of their face."

"Well… you're white. And you speak without an accent. I know it's not fair. Fair doesn't have anything to do with it. But _you_ pass. People see you and they don't have to worry about whether you're an immigrant because you look and sound like what they want America to look and sound like."

"J'onn and Myriah are here. They have dark skin. They have accents."

Alex almost whispered, "J'onn and Myriah work in the kitchen, Kara."

"But I'm one of them, Alex! I was born in Krypton, even if I don't remember it. What kind of person would I be if I turned them away?"

"Alive. In business, with your family safe."

Just then, Lena came through the door, having picked up Clark, Jr, from Jonathan and Martha's. She said hi to Alex and sat down next to Kara with Clark bundled in her arms. Clark giggled and flashed a gummy grin - not at Kara, but at the ceiling fan turning above the cafe. 

Kara smiled and gave Clark and Lena each a kiss. Alex smiled, too, and said hi to Lena, but she kept her eyes pinned on Kara waiting for acknowledgment that she would heed Alex's warning.

Kara deflected.

“Well, Alex, tell you what. The next time those ‘some people’ come in here, like Ben Lockwood and Tommy Morrow, I’ll ask ‘em if they don’t want anybody to know who they are when they go marching around in those stupid masks of theirs, why don’t they have enough sense to change their shoes?”

Alex sighed, "Kara, don't provoke them."

"I mean, I'd recognize Ben Lockwood's size 14 clodhoppers anywhere."

"Come on," said Alex in frustration, "None of this is new. You know how the world is. What's happened? Why are you having a hard time with this?" 

Kara just set her jaw and didn't answer.

"What's all this about?" Lena asked.

"Alex is delivering a message from the Children of Liberty that they don't like us serving immigrants."

Lena pursed her lips and thought for a moment. "What harm can it be to sell a few sandwiches out the back door? It’s not like they’re coming in and sitting down.”

Alex relaxed a little bit, glad to know that they were keeping some boundaries and hopeful that Lena would talk some sense into Kara.

"Okay...I'll see what I can do to smooth things over. I just worry about you all. I want you to be safe. Just...I don't know. Be careful."

"Always," nodded Kara.

Alex hoped that were true. She let out a sigh and then smiled as she kissed Clark on his chubby little cheek and squeezed his hand. She turned back to Kara.

“Game night Friday? Are we still playing poker?”

“Yep. Eight o’clock. And bring plenty of money, I feel lucky.”

“Alright, I'll see you then. Bye, Lena.”

“Bye, Alex.”

Kara stood up and turned away from the table, hiding her face from Lena and Clark. She had mostly masked her feelings while she talked with Alex, acting like it was a casual conversation and nothing personal, but now that Alex had left she found herself seething with anger and fear.

She leaned against the counter and tried to reign in her emotions with a joke, but her voice cracked on the delivery.

"I just don't know what gets into people… They're terrified to sit next to an immigrant and have a meal, but they'll eat eggs that come right out of a chicken's ass."

Lena looked at Kara with concern. She heard the emotion in Kara's voice, a level of anger and hurt that did not often break through. She set Clark in the laundry basket with a folded up blanket inside that they kept in the cafe just for him and then handed him a rattle. 

Once Clark was settled, Lena walked over to Kara and placed her hand on Kara's back. "Are you okay?"

“I’m sorry… It just makes me mad sometimes.”

"You don't have to be sorry. The world is wrong, not you. But, that’s just the way people are and I don't think there’s a thing in the world that's going to change them."

Kara leaned into Lena's touch and sighed.

"I know how the world is. But this is the first time in my whole life that I've had to be part of it. That _I've_ had to treat people differently just because of where they were born... I hate being complicit. They want me to turn away hungry, hard-working people? I'm not going to do it. It's bad enough that I can't let them inside to eat like a decent human being. I'm not going to turn them away completely."

"We'll figure it out," Lena tried to soothe her, but Kara was getting fired up.

"I didn't survive the destruction of Little Krypton just to blend in and serve my own people out the kitchen door... or treat them like they're not good enough to come inside and be served at a table. Those...bastards...killed my parents and burned my home. They don't get to tell me what to do!"

Lena looked at Kara, standing tall, fists clenched, ready to fight for truth and justice. She searched for the right words to say, but then Clark started fussing. So she scooped up their son and handed him to Kara, who melted immediately and started bouncing him and patting his back. No one could soothe Kara like Clark could, and Kara was pretty good at soothing Clark, too.

Lena smiled at them and felt her heart swell, just as it did every time she saw Kara taking care of Clark.

She stretched up on her toes and gave Kara a soft kiss on the cheek, which caused Kara to blush, just as it always did.

"Come on," Lena said, "Clark's ready for bed and so am I. We'll figure the rest of it out in the morning."

The next morning, they made a change at the cafe. On the menu that hung on the back door, everything was a nickel or a dime cheaper. They figured fair was fair.

\---

That fall, Railroad Bill robbed his first train and tossed all of his bounty to the rocky embankment below. He was a famous bandit who would throw food and coal off government supply trains at night around Calvintown. The people who lived along the tracks would find Railroad Bill's gifts at daybreak and run it home before the railroad employees knew it was gone.

It was 1930, right in the middle of the Great Depression. Times were hard in Calvintown. Times were hard everywhere, but it hit the immigrant shantytowns especially hard. Railroad Bill kept Calvintown from going hungry. It's impossible to say how many lives he saved.

Of course, the railroads did everything they could to catch him. They put twenty extra men on the trains and offered rewards to anyone who could provide information leading to his arrest, but they always came up empty handed.

Railroad Bill wasn't the only one sneaking onto trains in those days. There were two hundred thousand men and boys roaming the countryside and riding the rails that year. Winslow Schott was one of the many. 

He was tucked in a box car, headed for the warm weather of Florida, and he was starving. He had not eaten anything for two days.

His friend Barry Allen had told him about two women running a place outside of Birmingham, said they were always good for a meal or two. So when he saw the sign MIDVALE, ALABAMA, he jumped off.

He found the place across the tracks, just like Barry had said. It was a small green building with a green-and-white awning under a Coca-Cola sign that said THE MIDVALE CAFE. He went around the back and knocked on the screen door. A black woman was busy frying chicken and slicing green tomatoes. She glanced at him and called out, “Kara!”

Pretty soon, a good-looking tall blond with wavy hair and an inviting smile came to the door, wearing a clean white shirt and men’s trousers. She looked to be in her early twenties.

He took off his hat. “Excuse me, ma’am, I was wondering if you had an odd job, or something I might do. I’ve had a run of some bad luck, lately.”

Kara looked at the man in the worn-out dirty jacket, frayed brown shirt, and cracked leather laceless shoes and knew he wasn’t lying.

She opened the door and said, “Come on in, fella. I think we can find something for you.”

Kara asked what his name was.

“Winn, ma’am.”

She turned to the woman behind the counter. Winn hadn’t seen a neat and clean woman in months, and this one was the prettiest woman he had seen in his entire life. She was wearing a floral print cotton dress and had her dark hair pulled back in a neat braid.

“Lena, this is Winn, and he’s gonna be doing some work for us.”

Lena looked at him and smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

Kara pointed to the men’s room. “Why don’t you go in there and freshen up, and then come have a bite to eat.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The bathroom was big and had a light bulb hanging down from the ceiling. When he pulled it he saw that there was a big claw-foot tub over in the corner. On the sink, already laid out, was a razor and a dish of shaving soap with a brush.

As he looked at himself in the mirror, he felt ashamed that they had seen him so dirty, but he had not had more than a speaking acquaintance with soap for quite a while now. He took the big bar of brown Oxydol soap and tried to scrub all the grime and coal dust off his face and hands. He had not had a drink in twenty-four hours, and his hands shook so bad he was not able to get a clean shave, but he did the best he could. After he had splashed himself with Old Spice shaving lotion and combed his hair with the Ace comb he had found on the shelf above the sink, he came back out into the cafe.

Kara and Lena had set a place for him at the table. He sat down to a plate of fried chicken, black-eyed peas, turnip greens, fried green tomatoes, cornbread, and iced tea.

He picked up his fork and tried to eat. His hands were still shaking and he was not able to get the food to his mouth. He spilled his tea all over his shirt.

He had been hoping they were not watching, but in a minute the blond woman said, “Winn, come on, let’s take a walk outside.”

He got his hat and used his napkin, thinking he was being thrown out. “Yes’m.”

As they walked out of the cafe Kara leaned over and whispered something to the sheriff, who was having dinner. Winn's heart sank. Not only was he being thrown out, now it seemed, the police were going to be involved.

Kara walked him out behind the cafe, where there was a field.

“You’re a pretty nervous fella, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry about spilling my food in there, ma’am, but to tell you the honest to God truth...well...I’ll just head on, but thank you anyway…”

Kara reached in her apron pocket and pulled out a flask of whiskey and handed it to him.

He was a mighty appreciative man. He said, “God bless you for a saint, ma’am.” and they sat down on a log out by the shed.

While Winn was calming his nerves, she talked to him.

“See that big plot of empty land over there?”

He looked over. “Yes’m.”

“Years ago, that used to be the most beautiful little lake in Midvale...in the summer, we’d swim in it and fish, and you could go for a boat ride if you wanted to.” She shook her head sadly. “I sure do miss it. I sure do.”

Winn looked at the vacant land.

“What happened to it, did it dry up?”

“No, it was worse than that. One November, a big flock of ducks, oh, about forty or more, landed right smack in the middle of that lake, and while they were sitting there, that afternoon, a fluke thing happened. The temperature dropped so fast that the whole lake froze over, as solid as a rock, in a matter of three seconds. One, two, three, just like that.”

Winn was amazed at the thought. “You don’t mean it?”

“Yep.”

“Well, I reckon it must have killed them ducks.”

Kara said, “Why, gosh no. They just flew off and took the lake with them. That lake’s somewhere in Georgia, to this very day…”

He turned and looked at her, and when he realized she was pulling his leg, his blue eyes crinkled up and he started laughing so hard that he started to cough at the same time, and she had to bang him on the back.

He was still wiping his eyes when they went back in the cafe, where his dinner was waiting. When he sat back down to eat, it was warm. Someone had kept it in the oven for him.

Once Winn had returned to his dinner, Kara walked back over to Sheriff Danvers, set the flask down in front of her and said, "Here, you can have this back."

Alex looked up, alarmed. That was her flask, but it had been in her back pocket. She shook her head, realizing that Kara must have picked her pocket earlier on the way out the door. She noted that it was now mostly empty as she slipped it back into her pocket.

"You're such a brat," she told Kara.

Kara beamed her most winning smile. "Yeah, but you love me."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Hmm," she admitted. "To my detriment."

\----

  
  


Kara and Winn hit it off real well so he decided to stick around Midvale for a while. Kara invited him to join the next meeting of the Department of Extranormal Operations.

"The what?"

"The Department of Extranormal Operations. It's a breakfast and social club of a bunch of super good friends. We have secret meetings and stuff."

Winn was excited to join. He didn't want to seem too excited though.

"Isn't that kind of a mouthful? What if you just called it the Super Friends or something?"

"We're not calling it that. You can call it the DEO for short. Anyway, we're meeting Sunday morning at the cafe and you can come, if you want."

Alex Danvers, Cat Grant, Lois Lane, and J'onn J'onzz all came that day. About all they did was drink whiskey and and tell stories.

That was their fun, making up tales. They lived by one unspoken rule: Never let the truth get in the way of a good story. 

One time, Lena had just come in and Kara was sitting around with them. She said, “Lena, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but while you were gone, little Clark swallowed a 22-caliber bullet.”

When Lena got all worried, Kara said, “Everything's okay, he’s fine. I just took him over to Doc Hamilton’s and he gave Clark half a bottle of castor oil, and said it was all right to bring him home but just be careful not to point him at anyone.’”

Kara was the president of the DEO and she would call secret meetings. Most of those meetings were nothing more than hot poker games. The club did some good things, but they would never tell you about it when they did, they’d deny it every time.

Cat told a story about getting drunk with Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and Dorothy Day before they got arrested in DC.

Alex asked, "You were a suffragist, Cat? I didn't know that."

"Good Lord, no. I'm with them philosophically, yes, but these legs were not made for the long skirts of a suffragette… Those girls could throw a party though… Of course, not as good as Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Did I ever tell you about the time Ernest took me on a double date in Paris with Scott and Zelda? Now that was a wild night."

They all raised their glasses in salute of wild nights.

The only one of the bunch that didn't drink at those meetings was J'onn J'onzz. He would sit there eating Oreo cookies dipped in milk and tell outrageous stories about Malecandra, like the time his house got struck by a small meteorite and the next day three little green men showed up to collect it.

"You're joking!" said Winn, who couldn't believe it. Winn was new and did not yet realize that half of everything said at the DEO was a lie. 

J'onn looked him straight in the eye and told him sternly, "Malecandrans don't joke." And he went right back to eating his cookies.

Poor Winn, he was always a little afraid of J'onn J'onzz and he never questioned him again.

\----

It was a cold November day outside, the sun had set though it was not yet fully dark. Inside it was almost time for one of their radio programs to come on. Winn was recounting to Kara all the reasons The Shadow could beat Zorro in a fight. Alex Danvers was doing her best to tune them out while sipping her second cup of decaf and Myriah was sweeping up from the dinner crowd.

That's when a brick crashed through the cafe window.

"What the hell!?!" shouted Alex as she jumped from her seat.

Myriah was closest to the window, so she was the first to see the bronze masks outside. "Oh Lord, here they are… I knew it.”

Lena had been working behind the counter. The minute she saw who was outside, she called over, “Myriah, lock the back door and bring me the baby.”

Twelve members of the Children of Liberty, dressed in full regalia, were lined up outside the cafe. One was holding a torch. Another was holding back a dog that was barking wildly and straining against its leash. The others held baseball bats or crowbars.

Alex Danvers went over to the window and looked out, scrutinizing the men in the bronze masks.

The sudden noise had startled Clark, who was now crying in his basket. Myriah scooped him up and shushed him and then handed Lena the still crying baby. Lena bounced and calmed him and hummed in his ear. Myriah did not leave her side.

Winn joined Alex at the window.

"What's this all about?" he asked.

Alex said with certainty, "Those boys aren't from Midvale."

"Who are they?"

"You stay here. I'm going to find out."

Kara had frozen in her seat when the brick crashed through the window. She heard the breaking glass, the barking dog, the shouting voices, and her heart stopped. Her chest was tight. Darkness was closing in and her consciousness was back in Little Krypton remembering the last moment she ever saw her parents and the terrifying hours she'd spent in the dark. But she gripped the table with all her might and blinked those images away. She focused on her breathing and focused on the voices of her friends, clinging to them like an anchor and letting them pull her back to the present.

She heard the crying baby.

She heard the radio announcer say, “And now, to the many friends who wait for him, we present, ‘Just Plain Bill, Barber of Harville’... the story of a man who might be living right next door to you…”

She heard Alex tell the others to stay here, that she was going to go out to talk to those men, and that's when Kara snapped to attention. Those monsters had killed her parents and countless others. They had burned her home and those of her neighbors. There was no way in hell she was going to let Alex go out and face them alone.

She jumped up and hurried to the back room, ignoring her sweating palms and knocking knees. She grabbed her shotgun and followed Alex to the door.

Lena shouted at her, "Kara, stay here, what are you doing!?" 

But Kara, headstrong and stubborn and stupidly brave, ignored her and stepped out the door. She stood at the front step of the cafe, shotgun in hand, glaring at the masked men the whole time Alex was outside.

Lena, Winn, and Myriah stood at the window, watching to see what would happen next.

Alex walked up to the men, her badge shining in the torchlight and her hand on her sidearm. She talked to them for a few minutes, until one man nodded and said something to the others. One by one, they climbed back into their black pickup trucks and drove off. 

Lena couldn’t be sure, but it seemed to her that one of the men had been staring right at her and the baby. Then she remembered something that Kara had once said, and she looked down at the man’s shoes as he was climbing into the truck, When she saw the shiny, black-polished shoes, she was suddenly terrified.

Alex came back into the cafe, unconcerned. “They didn’t want anything. Just a bunch of good old boys from Georgia trying to scare you. One of them was over here the other day and saw you were selling to immigrants out the back door. They wanted to shake you up a little bit. That’s all.”

Kara's hands were still shaking. She set down her shotgun and picked up the brick. It was painted with a message, "Rooches go home" on one side and "Us or them" on the other.

"They spelled 'roaches' wrong, idiots." Kara set the brick on the counter and looked at the mess.

"I hate this!" she shouted. "It's so stupid! Why do they call them _Children_ of Liberty? They _attack_ the people who are seeking liberty."

"Yeah, they should be called _Blockers_ of Liberty," offered Winn.

"They should be called cold-hearted masked cowards who are too dumb to know that immigrants help a country, not make it worse!"

"Um, yeah, that's good, too." Winn nodded and picked up the broom. They all went about cleaning up the mess and pinning a tarp up over the broken window.

After everyone had gone for the night, Lena and Kara remained in the dark cafe with Clark. Lena had been quiet and pensive the rest of the evening. Now, she stood looking nervously out the window, holding the baby tightly while Clark drooled on her necklace.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” asked Kara.

“It was Morgan... He saw the baby.”

 _"Shisir,"_ Kara cursed. “You sure it was him?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“So that’s why those jerks were here…. Don’t worry. If he’s dumb enough to come back here again, Alex and the boys from her department will take care of him. And if they don’t, I’ll...think of something.”

Lena looked down at Clark and then back up at Kara.

“I remember…when Morgan would beat me, I...I couldn’t stop it. I would...just pray and somehow endure it. And I remember...when my mother was sick, even when she was spitting up blood, pleading for me to help her... all I could do was just pray and…endure it….

“But if that bastard, Morgan Edge, ever tries to take my child...I won’t endure it. I’ll break his neck.”

“Oh, honey, _zrhueiao, te_." Kara crossed over to Lena, tucked a hair behind Lena’s ear, touched their foreheads together, and reached her long arms around both Lena and the baby.

“I’ve got you. You don’t have to worry. I’ve got you.” 

That was the last anyone saw of Morgan Edge.

  
  


  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> Kryptonian translations:
> 
> _  
> Shisir  
> _  
>  = Damn
> 
>   
> _  
> Zrhueiao, te  
> _  
>  = My beautiful  
> 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I was gone for a while. First, I took a week off from writing because it was very important that I watch the entire series of Dead to Me. Time well spent!
> 
> And then the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests started and I found it impossible to pull myself away from social media. Also, it was hard to get back into the head space of an AU that features a lot of racism and xenophobia. 
> 
> But, here we go! This chapter is shorter than usual, but I'm hoping that putting something up will get my momentum rolling again.
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking with it. And thanks to everyone who leaves kudos or comments. Part of me feels like I shouldn't be so dependent on external praise but...gosh, does it feel good!!! 💕
> 
> Oh, by the way, we get a cameo appearance in this chapter! Who else used to watch Castle!?
> 
> Thanks again. Hope you are all staying safe and healthy!

December 1930

As they say, when it rains it pours. First, the cafe got hit by the Children of Liberty. Then, Jonathan Kent had a heart attack. He was in the yard splitting firewood when his chest started to burn and he couldn't catch his breath. So, he took some Tums, kissed Martha, and went to lie down for a while. He never did get back up. 

Everyone was heartbroken. And everyone held their breath to see how Kara would take it. Would she shut down? Would she head for the woods like when Clark died or Lena left?

There was yet another aching hole in Kara's already wounded heart. But this time, Kara did not feel so alone. Her heart hurt. She would miss Jonathan dearly. But she had people counting on her.

Jonathan's death made life at once both sadder and sweeter. She resolved to treasure good things for as long as she had them -- especially Lena, and Clark, and Martha, but also her friends in the DEO, the J'onzz family, and her work at the cafe. She hoped that she might live life as well as he had, for there was no one so kind, or generous, or loyal as Jonathan Kent.

Kara was hurting but the people she loved were hurting, too, and she found ways to help. She comforted Martha and Lena, who in a short time had come to love Jonathan as her own father. She sang "I'll Fly Away" at his funeral and there was not a dry eye in the crowded Trinity United Methodist Church. She helped Martha sort through Jonathan's papers and make arrangements to keep the general store open. She rocked Clark, Jr, to sleep while quietly telling stories about his Gramps.

And through it all, she kept serving folks at the cafe with a welcoming smile and outrageous stories. It took a while before she was able to fix that broken window, though.

\----

It was another ice-cold Alabama afternoon, and the hogs were boiling in the big iron pot out in back of the cafe. The pot was bubbling over the top, full of long-gone hogs that would soon be smothered with J’onn’s special barbecue sauce.

J’onn was standing by the pot with Mally, when he looked up and saw three people walking toward him.

One was Sheriff Alex Danvers. One was a tall woman, smartly dressed, with an intense, official look on her face. The third was a man, looking amused, in a dark grey suit and no tie.

Alex introduced the two strangers. 

"J'onn, Mally," she said with a nod to each. "This is Detective Kate Beckett and Mr. Richard Castle. They're up here from Viceroy, Georgia, looking for a missing person. You ever seen this guy?"

She held out a photograph.

Mally, whose job it was to stir the pot with a long stick, began to sweat.

J’onn looked at the picture of the white man in the derby hat and shook his head. “Doesn't look familiar,” and handed it back to Alex.

The man walked over and looked in the pot at the pink and white hogs bobbing up and down like a carousel. 

Alex put the photograph back in her pocket, her official duty over, and said, “Hey, when are we gonna get some of that barbecue, J’onn?”

J’onn looked in the pot and studied it a moment. “I'd say about noon tomorrow. Yes, come by at noon. It'll be ready.”

“You'll save us some?”

J’onn smiled. “I sure will.”

As they headed to the cafe, Alex bragged to the others. “He makes the best barbecue in the state of Alabama. You’ve gotta try it. I bet you all from Georgia don't know what good barbecue is.”

\----

Winn and Kara were sitting in the cafe and drinking coffee. Kara was bouncing Clark on her knee while he chewed and drooled on her thumb. Alex came in and walked over to where they were sitting.

“Kara, Winn, meet Detective Kate Beckett and Mr. Richard Castle. They’re over here from Georgia.”

"How do you do? This here's Clark." Kara waved Clark's little hand.

They all nodded hello and sat down.

Kara said, “What can I get you? How ‘bout some coffee?”

They all agreed that would be fine.

Kara handed Clark off to Winn and went into the kitchen. When she came back with the coffee Mr. Castle was making peekaboo faces at Clark, who was smiling back and blowing spit bubbles.

“How ‘bout some pie with your coffee?”

Alex said, “No, we better not, we’re here on business.”

Mr. Castle seemed a bit disappointed but never stopped making faces at Clark.

“Detective Beckett and Mr. Castle are looking for this man." She pulled the picture out. 

“Have either one of you seen him?”

Lena, who had been waiting on a table nearby, came to look at the picture, too.

Just as Kara and Winn were saying, no, they'd never seen him, Lena said in surprise, "That's my husband!"

Everyone looked at her in interest. 

"But I haven't seen him in...months," she added.

"I heard he got run over by a Brink's armored truck," offered Kara. "What's he done?"

Mr. Castle answered, "Nothing, as far as we know. We’re trying to find out what’s been done to him.” 

He grinned at his play on words while Detective Beckett rolled her eyes and took over the questioning.

“He told the man who worked for him that he was coming over here a couple of days ago, but he never came back home. That was seven days ago." She turned to Lena, "What's your name, miss?"

"Lena."

"Lena…?" asked Detective Beckett, waiting for a last name.

"Luthor… Lena Luthor."

If Beckett or Castle recognized the Luthor name, they didn't let on.

"Luthor? Not Edge?" asked Mr. Castle. "Didn't you say he's your husband?"

"Well, I moved up here to Midvale about a year ago and when I did I changed my name."

Beckett studied her. "What made you move away from your husband, Miss Luthor?"

Kara coughed and interrupted, “I want you to try a piece of this chocolate pecan pie for me. Tell me what you think. We just made it a few minutes ago. Myriah bakes the best pie in the universe. Here, have a piece on me.”

She grabbed a slice off the counter and Mr. Castle smiled gratefully. Once he accepted the pie, Kara grabbed slices for Alex and Detective Beckett, too. 

Beckett eyed Kara but took a bite of the pie.

She turned her attention back to Lena. "Miss Luthor, did your husband contact you when he came to Midvale?"

"I don't know whether he came to Midvale or not, but I certainly haven't seen him. We haven't spoken in more than a year."

Beckett continued, "Did he have any other family or acquaintances around here?"

"Not that I know of," answered Lena. "No, I don't believe so."

Beckett turned to Alex, "If he did come into town is there a place he might have stayed?"

Alex shook her head, "There's no hotel, but a few families take borders."

Beckett gave a nod as she thought it over. "Well, then, Sheriff Danvers, I'd like to check with those families. See if anyone has seen him."

Alex nodded, "Sure, I'll take you around."

They finished up their pie and stood to leave.

"You let us know if you find him," said Lena.

Clark, still sitting in Winn's lap and grabbing at utensils on the table, picked that moment to give a loud squeal and babble.

"Thank you for the pie," Mr. Castle said to Kara. He turned to Lena, "We'll let you know if we find anything, Miss Luthor. Most likely he was on his way up to see you, but stopped for a drink somewhere and decided to stay a while. He'll probably come back on his own in a few days."

Alex lingered as Beckett and Castle walked out the door. She asked Kara, "How's Martha holding up?"

Kara started to give an optimistic response but let out a sigh and shook her head. 

"She's hurting. We all are."

Alex frowned sympathetically and said, “I'm so sorry, Kara. You tell her she's in our prayers and let us know if we can do anything to help."

Kara nodded and Alex headed out the door.

\------

Beckett and Castle spent the next few days around Midvale looking for anyone who could confirm whether Morgan Edge had arrived in Midvale, trying to determine where he might have stayed if he did come to Midvale, and interviewing Lena Luthor about the nature of their relationship. On the third day, Detective Kate Beckett returned to the cafe alone. She ordered a barbeque sandwich and began reviewing her notes.

When Kara brought it over to the booth, she joked, “Between Alex and your partner, y’all are about to eat up all my barbecue."

Beckett looked up from her notes and invited Kara to have a seat. Her tone hinted that it was less a suggestion and more a command.

Kara looked around the room and saw that it wasn’t busy, so sat down on the opposite side of the booth.

Beckett took a bite of her sandwich and looked at Kara, patiently. They studied each other long enough for Kara to feel uncomfortable.

“How ya doing?” Kara said, breaking the silence. “Found that man you were looking for yet?”

Instead of answering, Beckett asked her own question, "You're not from around here are you, Miss Kent?"

Warning bells went off in Kara's mind. She knew how people felt about immigrants. Did the detective know she was Kryptonian? Kara forced her voice to stay calm.

"No, actually. I, uh, was adopted from an orphanage in Leesburg."

"Mmm-hmmm," Beckett continued her stare and let the silence linger before adding, "and before that, you lost your family in the riots of Little Krypton...riots which were allegedly started by the Children of Liberty."

Kara went cold. She felt exposed, naked in the face of her past and angry that the detective would poke at those old wounds.

"I notice things, Miss Kent. I do my homework. Now, did you know that Mr. Edge was a member of the Children of Liberty?"

Beckett went on before Kara could answer, "They paid a visit to your cafe recently, didn't they?" 

Beckett gave a look at the still boarded up window and then continued, "Damn, that would have made me angry. The same bunch that killed my parents, now coming to cause trouble in my new place of business... in my home?

"Just about the only thing more disturbing than that would be if my… longtime companion's… vicious husband came sniffing around her and her son. That would be mighty unsettling and I suppose I'd want to make sure he never came back to threaten them again."

Kara set her jaw and held her tongue.

"In fact, you once threatened to kill Morgan Edge, didn't you? Attacked him in a barbershop, I believe."

Beckett raised her eyebrows in question, waiting for confirmation, but Kara just looked away. Beckett hummed at Kara's response.

"Look," Beckett chose her words carefully, "I happen to know that Morgan Edge left a trail of misery behind him... and I wouldn't blame you one bit if you did kill him. But the law's the law and it's my job to enforce it. 

"However," Beckett shrugged, "at this point, we have no body. And as far as I'm concerned, in this case, if there's no body, there's no murder. Who knows? Edge might well have gone on a fishing trip, met a girl, and decided to run away with her… But here's the thing, if his body ever does turn up, I'll be obliged to come for you. Do you understand, Miss Kent?"

"I didn't kill Morgan Edge."

"Sure you didn't… As long as no body turns up, I believe you." And she took a bite of her sandwich.

Castle walked into the cafe and sat next to Beckett. He flashed his sad, puppy-dog eyes and asked, "Did you start eating without me?!"

Beckett mumbled something through her mouthful of food.

He accepted her apology with a sip of her sweet tea and commented, "You know, if it was one of my books, I'd have cooked him in the barbecue."

Beckett set down her sandwich. "Ugh, why do you have to say things like that?"

Castle smiled, pulled her plate over, and took a big bite. He grinned and shrugged, "More for me!" He chewed a bit. "Mmm… this is really good barbecue, are you sure you don't want any?"

\----

That night as Kara closed up the cafe, Lena sat in one of the booths keeping her company. Clark had already laid down to sleep and if he cried, they'd be able to hear him through the quiet cafe.

When Kara finished, she sat down beside Lena and put her hand on Lena's knee.They were quiet for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Lena spoke first.

“Tell me what they said."

“Who? Beckett and Castle?”

Lena nodded.

“They said it was the best damn barbecue they'd ever had.”

“That’s all?” Lena was nervous about the detectives' presence in Midvale. She knew Kara must be, too.

“No.”

“What else?”

“They said the pie was pretty good, too.”

And then Kara slumped a little lower in the seat so she could rest her head on Lena's shoulder.

\---

They never did find Morgan Edge or his body. But unfortunately for Kara, about nine years later, they did find his truck submerged in a lake outside of Midvale. And Kara Kent was arrested for murder.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alison Krauss singing I'll Fly Away [ https://youtu.be/1BPoMIQHwpo](https://youtu.be/1BPoMIQHwpo)


	9. Chapter 9

December 1937

Lena, Kara, and seven-year-old Clark Jr were bundled up and headed into Calvintown. Kara and Clark each had a brown paper package tucked under an arm while Lena carried a casserole to share for the potluck. When they reached the J'onzz home they found a mob of squealing kids playfully attacking Mally in the street. Clark tossed his package to Kara and ran off to join the fray.

"Happy birthday, Kim! Happy birthday, Tanya!" Lena and Kara shouted. 

Two little girls looked up from the pack. One answered, "Thank you, Miss Kara! Thank you, Miss Lena!" The other just waved and smiled. And Lena and Kara went inside to join the grown ups.

About five and a half years ago, Myriah and J'onn had been surprised to discover that Myriah was expecting, for she was in her early forties at the time. And then, several months later, they were twice as surprised when she delivered twin baby girls.

Kim and Tanya were identical but you could tell them apart when you looked at them because Kim had a dimple on each cheek and Tanya only had one. If you talked with them, it was even easier to tell them apart because Kim was outgoing and more boisterous. She always spoke on behalf of the both of them. Tanya tended to quietly take in a situation. But when no one else was around, Tanya could talk Kim's ear off.

At the birthday party, Lena quickly found Myriah and began helping in the kitchen, while Kara sat down with J'onn and her DEO friends and began to tell the latest crazy story she'd thought up.

\----

As usual, the cafe was jam-packed full of railroad men at lunchtime, so Alex Danvers, the Midvale sheriff and part-time railroad detective, went to the kitchen door and poked her head in, “Myriah, would you fix me a plate of those fried green tomatoes and some ice tea, please? I’m in a hurry.” Myriah handed Alex her plate and she walked back in the cafe with her lunch.

Nineteen thirty-seven marked the seventh winter in a row that Railroad Bill had been hitting trains. As Alex passed, Raymond Jensen, an engineer for the Southern Railroad, said, “Hey, Danvers, I hear old Railroad Bill hit himself another train last night. Ain’t you railroad detectives ever gonna catch that boy?”

The men laughed as Alex sat down at the counter to eat. “You idiots can laugh if you want to, but it isn't funny. That makes five trains that crook has hit in the past two weeks.”

Tommy Tompkins sniggered. “That boy’s got ya’ll jumping every which way, ain’t he?”

Ben Lockwood, next to him, smiled and chewed on a toothpick. “I heard he threw a whole boxcar full of canned goods off between here and Anniston, and those roaches grabbed it all before sunup.”

Alex glared at the slur, but nodded. "Not only that,” Alex said. “He threw seventeen hams that belonged to the United States government right off the damn train, in broad daylight.”

Myriah giggled as she put an iced tea down in front of Alex. "In broad daylight, and nobody could stop him!? Sounds kinda like Robin Hood, to me."

Alex reached for the sugar. “It's not funny, Myriah. Now, there's a government inspector coming down from Chicago that’s on my tail. I’ve got to go over to Birmingham and meet him, as soon as I leave here. We’ve already put on six extra men, over at the yard. That stupid Robin Hood is liable to get me fired.”

Tommy said, “I hear nobody can figure out how he’s getting on the trains and how he knows which ones have food on ‘em. Or how he gets off before your boys can catch him.”

“Danvers,” Jensen added, “they say you ain’t ever even come close to catching him.”

“Yeah, well, Leroy Hartmann almost had him the other night, outside Delta City **.** Just missed getting him by two minutes, so his days are numbered...you mark my words.” 

Kara was walking by. “Hey, Alex, why don’t I send Clark over to the yard to help your boys out? Maybe he can catch him.” 

Alex said, “Kara, just shut up and get me some more lunch.” She pulled her plate closer before Kara could grab a fried slice of tomato. 

Lena was behind the counter making change for Tommy. “Really, Alex, I can’t see what harm it can be. These poor people are almost starving to death, and if it hadn’t been for him throwing coal off, a lot of them would have frozen to death.” 

“I agree with you in a way, Lena. Nobody cares about a few cans of beans, now and then, and a little coal. But this thing is getting out of hand. So far, between here and the state line, the company has already put on twelve new men.” 

Winn Schott was down at the end of the counter having his coffee, and piped up, “Twelve men for one little fella? That’s kinda like shooting a fly with a cannon, ain’t it?”

“Don’t feel bad." Kara patted Alex on the back, “Myriah told me the reason your boys can’t catch him is because he can fly and he's got x-ray vision. That's what they're sayin' in Calvintown. What do you think? Do you reckon that’s true, Alex?” 

Alex rolled her eyes and groaned at her best friend. Tommy asked how much the reward was up to. 

Alex replied, “As of this morning, it was two hundred fifty dollars. Probably go up to five hundred before this thing is over.” 

Tommy shook his head. “Damn, that’s a lot of money…. What’s he supposed to look like?” 

“The few people who have seen him say he was just a plain old fella in a stocking cap.” 

“One smart fella, I’d say,” Winn added. 

“Yeah, maybe so. But I’ll tell you one thing, when I do catch that son of a bitch, he’s gonna be one sorry bastard.”

Tommy corrected her. "You mean, IF you catch him."

All the men laughed. 

Alex got up and put on her coat. "I don't have to stand for this kind of treatment. I think I’ll just take my business elsewhere.” 

Everybody, including Alex, laughed at that one, because there wasn’t anyplace else. She went out the door and headed for Birmingham.

\--------

Later that afternoon, there were just two customers left at the cafe, sipping their sweet tea, enjoying a late lunch, and listening to The Royal Gelatin Hour.

Clark Jr, ran in the front door of the cafe. His eyes were bright with excitement.

"Aunt Kara, did you hear? Railroad Bill struck again last night!"

Kara, who was wiping down tables, matched his excitement. "I did! It was all the railroad boys were talking about today!"

Winn Schott walked through the door a few moments behind Clark. Whenever he was in town he'd walk the boy home from school so Kara and Lena could keep working at the cafe.

Clark climbed up onto a bar stool at the counter and Winn sat down beside him.

Clark went on, "I hear he threw 17 hams off a train between here and Wetumpka! Who knows how much more than that?! Can you imagine!?"

After Lena finished refilling the customers' drinks, she kissed Clark on the cheek and offered him and Winn a slice of pie.

"Yes, ma'am!" Answered Clark and Winn, both.

They ate their pie and talked about Railroad Bill and then Winn and Clark went off to play dominos.

When Kara went to total up the customers' bill, the two men explained that they were waiting for the 4:13 to Florida and, while they waited, did she happen to know if there was anywhere in town to get a nip of whiskey?

Kara directed them one block down and three houses over, to Reverend Lane's house. "He's going to tell you no, but that's just his way of making sure you're the real deal and not the Feds. Have a good time, boys. Thanks for stopping by."

Lane was a teetotaler and there was not a chance in the world that he would have any whiskey, but Kara liked to harass the man any chance she got and one way she did it was by directing poor fools to his house when they came to the cafe looking for booze or live bait.

When Kara walked back inside, Lena was shaking her head. "Why are you so cruel to that man, Kara?"

"Cruel? He's the one who kicked Lois out of her home for dating my cousin. He deserves far worse than I've ever dished out."

"Reverend Lane is Lois' father? I never knew that."

Kara shrugged, "Well, Lois doesn't like to talk about him much and I suppose he doesn't like to talk about her either."

"But Martha goes to his church… How can she stand to go there after the way he treated Clark?"

Kara chuckled, "You should ask her, she'll give you an earful. Jonathan did stop attending. As soon as Lane made his feelings about immigration known, he switched over to the Methodist Church and never looked back. Martha understood, but she grew up at the Baptist Church. She'll tell you, 'I was there long before Reverend Lane and I plan to be there long after he goes, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let one bigoted pastor drive me away from MY church!'"

Kara laughed, "Did I ever tell you about the time the DEO and I relocated his lawn furniture to his roof?"

\-------

The dinner crowd was beginning to pick up when the bell on the cafe door dinged and in walked a small, confident brunette.

"Well, I'll be!" Shouted Kara, "if it isn't Lucy Lane! Me and Lena were just talking about your father!"

"Oh, no," said Lucy, "what have you done to him now?"

"Me?" Kara feigned innocence. "Not me, I've never done anything!"

Kara turned to Lena, "This is Lucy Lane, she's a hot shot lawyer."

Lucy laughed, "Hardly! I'm a file clerk."

Kara corrected, "A file clerk for the attorney general."

Lena shook her hand, "It's nice to meet you, Lucy."

"It's good to see you again," said Kara. "What brings you back to Midvale?"

"I just came home to see my dad for Christmas."

"Hmm, you're going to need a drink for that!" Declared Kara. "But in the meantime, can I get you anything to eat?"

Lucy stayed for dinner and Kara sat down to catch up with her any chance she got between waiting on the other tables. Kara chatted about Lucy's sister, Lois, and the rest of the folks down at the fishing club, and about Clark Jr, while Lucy talked about going to college in Birmingham and her life now in Montgomery.

When Lucy was getting ready to leave, she gave Kara a hug and said, "Thank you, again, for your help in Birmingham."

Kara brushed her thanks aside. "Aw, nevermind that, it's just good to see you again. Have a merry Christmas! Don't be a stranger!"

\-----

Kara and Clark had gone over to the Kent house to stack firewood for Martha. When they finished, Clark had run off to play with friends and Kara headed home. She walked in the door and found Lena wearing nothing but one of Kara's button down shirts and a smile.

"Oh!" Said Kara in surprise, carefully leaning against the door to close it behind her.

As she took in the view she let out an appreciative hum, only, it came out as kind of a scratchy moan. She kept her eyes locked on the expanse of skin revealed by Lena's slightly parted shirt, and cleared her throat.

"M-hrmmm… What, uh?" She swallowed and started again. "Whatever you're about to suggest, I'm in."

Lena quirked an eyebrow, "Really?"

Kara nodded.

"I've been thinking about going back to teaching."

Kara stopped in her steps as her brain tried to process the incongruent words. 

"Is that what you're going to wear? Because I think I'd have a problem with that… Unless I'm your only student, then I'm very interested!"

Lena laughed but said, "Kara, I'm serious."

Kara closed her eyes and worked very hard to make her brain work. After a few moments, she nodded and said, "Okay."

Lena felt like she needed to explain. She took a step toward Kara.

"I...I love this cafe and what we've built here but...I feel like I haven't used my brain in...in years. Clark's getting a little older and it seems like this might be a good time to try to do something more... challenging?"

Kara nodded again, "Okay."

"Okay? That's it?" Lena sounded surprised.

Kara opened her eyes. Lena was still naked. Still very beautiful and naked and with very long legs and that damn slightly parted shirt. But Kara willed herself to concentrate by only looking at the air around Lena's hair. 

"Yeah, Lena, yes! You love science, you're such a good teacher. It makes sense." Kara shrugged, "I kind of expected you to propose something more romantic, in that outfit... But, yes, you should teach! I might even go back for my diploma if you're going to be teaching."

"But what about the cafe?"

Kara considered. 

"I'll miss having you there. But there's plenty of people who need work. Maybe Winn? He's here often enough anyway."

"What about Clark?"

"Well… he's at school, too, now. So, that might work out really well."

Kara risked looking Lena in the eye, "It's a good idea. You're a great teacher. Let's do it."

Lena smiled and closed the distance between them. 

"Well, then," said Lena, "to be honest, teaching isn't what I planned to talk about when I put this on. But when you said you'd agree to anything, it seemed like a good time to bring it up."

"I'm listening…" Kara grinned.

Kara's smile was so radiant that Lena had to lean in and kiss it. When she pulled back she winked, "I wasn't planning to talk at all actually."

Kara slid her hand into the unbuttoned shirt and whispered in Lena's ear, "I kind of like it when you talk though."

Lena giggled, "Well… we'll just have to see what happens."

\-----

The sun had just come up behind the cafe, and Kara shook Clark awake, shouting, “Get up! Get up, Clark! Look!” She pulled him to the window to look out.

The entire field was covered with white.

His mouth flew open. “What is it?”

Kara laughed. “It’s snow.”

“It is?”

“Yes.”

He was seven and a half years old and this was the first time in his life he had ever seen real snow.

Lena came up behind them in her nightgown and looked out, just as surprised.

All three of them got dressed as fast as they could and were out in the yard five minutes later. It was only two inches deep but they rolled in it and made snowballs. You could hear the doors opening all over town and children shouting with excitement. By seven o’clock that morning, Kara and Clark had already built a short, fat snowman and Lena made them snow ice cream with milk and sugar.

Kara decided to walk Clark to school, and as they looked up the railroad tracks, there was nothing but white for as far as they could see. Clark was still so excited, he was jumping around and fell twice. Kara decided to tell him a story to calm him down.

“Did I ever tell you the time me and Winn played poker with Roulette?”

“No. Who’s Roulette?”

“You mean to tell me you never heard of Veronica Roulette, the meanest poker player in Alabama?”

“No ma’am.”

“Well, me and Winn were sitting in this all-night poker game over in Delta City, and I started winning. I guess I won every pot for an hour or so, and Roulette was getting madder and madder, but what could I do? I couldn’t quit, not while I was winning like that…that’s not etiquette. And the more I won, the madder she got, and pretty soon she was in a rage and pulled this gun out and put it on the table and said that she was going to kill the next man that dealt her a bad hand.

Clark was totally engrossed by this time. “Whose turn was it to deal?”

“Well, that’s the irony of it. She forgot it was her turn, and lo and behold, she dealt her own self a pair of two’s. So she just picked up the gun and shot herself to death, right there at the table...a woman of her word to the end.”

“Wow. Did you see it?”

“Sure I did. It was a pair of twos, big as life.”

Clark was thinking it over when he spied something sticking out of the snow beside the track. He ran over and picked it up.

“Look, Aunt Kara, it’s a can of Deer Brand sauerkraut, and it hasn’t even been opened!”

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. He held the can up with awe and whispered, “Aunt Kara, I’ll bet this is one of the cans that Railroad Bill threw off the train. Do you think it is?”

Kara examined the can. “It could be, son, it very well could be. Put it back where you found it, so the folks that are supposed to find it will.”

Clark placed the can back down on the exact place he'd found it, like it was a sacred thing.

“Wow.”

His first snow and now a tin can that could have been from Railroad Bill. It was all too much.

They continued walking, and after a few minutes Clark said, “I guess that Railroad Bill is about the bravest man that ever lived, huh, Aunt Kara?” 

“He’s brave all right.”

“Don’t you think he’s the bravest man we know of in our whole lives?”

Kara thought. “Well now, I wouldn’t say the bravest person I know. I don’t think I’d say that. One of the bravest, but not the bravest.”

Clark was taken aback. “Who could be braver than Railroad Bill?”

“J’onn.”

“Our J’onn?”

“Yeah.”

“What he ever do?”

"You never heard his stories about the war in Malecandra. He saved Alex Danvers' dad's life a few times, fighting right by his side. But, besides that, he saved my life, too."

“Are you serious?”

“Yes sir. When I first got to Midvale, me and Clark and his friend Jimmy had gone down to the dam out there by the gristmill. We had planned to go swimming but the river was too high. So, we were just walking along the wall and I slipped and fell in. I went right over the dam. Jimmy and Clark yelled for help and it was J'onn who got there first. He jumped right in after me. The current was too fast to swim. We both nearly drowned. But he held onto me, and kept my head above water until we both washed ashore."

“Really!”

“Really.”

“Wow…. Do you know any other brave people? What about Tommy Tompkins shooting that twelve-point deer last week? That took a lot of courage.”

“Well now, there’s courage and then there’s courage,” Kara said. “Tommy's alright, but you don’t have to be too brave to shoot some poor dumb animal with a twenty-gauge shotgun.”

“Who else do you know that’s brave besides J’onn?”

“Well, let’s see,” she said, musing. “Besides J’onn, I’d have to say that your mother was one of the bravest people I know.”

“Momma?”

“Yes. Your momma.”

“Oh, I don’t believe that. Why, she’s scared of everything, even a little bug. What’d she ever do?” 

“Something. She did something once.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter what. You asked me and I told you. Your mother and J’onn are the two bravest people I know.”

“ _Really_?”

“I promise you so.”

Clark was amazed. “Well, I'll be…”

“That’s right. And there’s something else I want you always to remember. There are magnificent beings on this earth, son, that are walking around posing as humans. And I don’t ever want you to forget that. You hear me?”

Clark looked at her sincerely and said, “No ma’am, I won’t.”

As they continued on down the tracks, a bright red cardinal swooped out of a snow-covered tree and made a Christmas flight across the white horizon.

  
  
  
  



	10. Chapter 10

Summer 1938

It was an ordinary Tuesday in June. The breakfast crowd had cleared out and Lena had gone over to Martha Kent's general store to get a few essentials. Kara, Winn, and Myriah were still working in the cafe.

The minute Kara heard the voices outside by the tracks, she knew that somebody had been hurt. She looked out and saw Querl Dox running toward the cafe. 

Myriah had walked out of the kitchen, just as Brainy threw open the door and shouted, “It’s your little boy, he’s been run over by the train!” 

Kara’s heart stopped beating. 

Myriah threw her hands up to her mouth, “Oh, Lord Jesus!”

Kara turned to Winn: “Get Lena!” and started running over to the tracks. When she got there, the eight-year-old boy was lying on his back with his eyes wide open, staring at the group of people who were looking down on him in horror.

When he saw her, he smiled, and she almost smiled back, thinking he was all right, until she saw his arm lying in a pool of blood three feet away. 

J’onn, who had been out in the back of the cafe, barbecuing, had come running right up behind her and saw the blood at the same time. He pulled off his belt and applied a tourniquet, like he had learned when he was a soldier in Malecandra. Then he scooped up Clark and started running as fast as he could toward Doc Hamilton’s house. 

Kara was running right behind J’onn and they were both yelling at the house, three blocks away, “Doctor Hamilton! Doctor Hamilton!” 

The doctor’s wife, Amelia, heard them first and came out on the front porch. She spotted them just as they came around the corner, and she shouted for her husband, “Get out here quick! It’s Kara and she’s got Clark Jr.!” 

Dr. Hamilton jumped up from the table and met them on the sidewalk, with his napkin still in his hand. When he saw how much blood the boy had lost, he threw the napkin down and said, “Get in the car. We’ve got to get him to Birmingham. He’s gonna need transfusions.” 

As he was running to the old Dodge, he told his wife to call the hospital and tell them they were coming. She ran inside to call, and J’onn, who was by this time completely covered with blood, got in the backseat and held the boy in his arms. 

Lena and Winn ran up to Dr. Hamilton's as they were all climbing into the car. Lena nearly fainted when she saw her precious boy covered in blood, but she climbed in next to J'onn, and pressed kisses to Clark's forehead while running her hand through his hair.

Kara sat in the front seat and talked to him all the way there, telling him stories to keep him calm, although her own legs were shaking. 

When they arrived at the Emergency entrance, the nurse and the attendant were waiting for them at the door. 

As they started in, the nurse said to Kara, “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to have your man wait outside, this is an American-only hospital.” 

The boy, who hadn’t said a word, kept watching J’onn as they took him down the hall, and until they turned the corridor, out of sight…

Still covered with blood, J’onn sat outside on the brick wall and put his head in his hands and waited.

Two teenage boys walked by, and one snarled over at J’onn. 

“Look, there’s another fool roach that’s got all cut up in a knife fight.” The other called out, “You better get yourself over to the roach hospital, boy.”

And the two boys swaggered on down the street.

\----

Clark's arm had been cut off right above the elbow. All that was left was a little stump. He stayed at the hospital for six weeks while the wound healed.

When he came home, Kara went to see her friend who owned the tombstone business and had him make up a baby tombstone that had carved on it:

HERE LIES CLARK JR’S ARM

1930-1938

SO LONG OLD PAL

She put it out in the field behind the cafe, and when he got home, she took him out there and they made a big to-do about having this funeral for his arm. Everybody came. Myriah and J’onn’s children, Mally and Kim and Tanya, and all the neighborhood kids. Kara had an Eagle Scout come out and play “Taps” on the bugle. 

Kara was the first one to start calling him Stump, and Lena nearly had a fit. She thought it was a mean thing to do. But Kara said it was best, so nobody would call him anything about it behind his back. She thought he might as well face up to the fact that he had an arm missing and not be sensitive about it. 

Whenever there was somebody new in the cafe, Kara would bring Clark in and have him tell this long, tall tale about going fishing for catfish down on the Warrior River, and he’d get them all caught up in the story and then Kara would say, “How big was the catfish, Stump?”

And he’d put out his arm, like the grown fisherman used to do to show how long the fish was, and he’d say, “Oh, about that big.” And Kara and Stump would laugh over the expressions on the people’s faces, trying to figure out how long that fish was.

\---

Christmas Day, 1938

Almost everyone in town had gotten a cap pistol for Christmas and most of them had gathered in the Finch’s backyard that afternoon for a shoot-out. The whole yard smelled of sulphur from the caps that had been cracking in the cold air all afternoon. They had all been killed a hundred times over. Pow! Pow! Pow! You’re dead! 

Pow! Pow!

“Augh! You got me! … Auggh!” 

Ten-year-old Jem Finch grabbed his chest, fell to the ground, and took three minutes to die. When he had jerked his last jerk, he jumped up and unrolled another red strip of caps and reloaded in a frenzy.

Stump was a late arrival to the shoot-out, and had just finished his Christmas dinner up at the cafe with the family and Winn Schott. He hit the yard running, and he had timed it just right, because everyone was loaded and ready to go. He ran behind a tree and took aim at Dill Harris. POW! POW! 

CRACK CRACK CRACK … Dill, who was behind a bush, jumped up and yelled, “You missed, you dirty varmit!” 

Stump, who had shot all his caps, was busy trying to reload when Scout Finch, Jem's little sister, ran up to him and let him have it. 

CRACK CRACK CRACK … POW POW POW … “Got ya!”

And before he knew it, Stump was dead… 

But Stump was game. He reloaded time and time again, only to be killed in the process, over and over again. 

Ruby Arias, who had recently moved to Midvale with her momma and lived next door to the Finches, came out, all bundled up in her new maroon coat and sat on the back steps, watching the shoot out from her own backyard. Ruby was in the same class as Stump. 

All of a sudden it wasn’t so much fun to be getting killed over and over, and Stump started desperately trying to get one of them, but there were too many of them and he couldn’t reload fast enough to protect himself. 

CRACK CRACK CRACK … killed again! But he kept trying. He made a desperate run and got behind a big oak tree in the middle of the yard, where he could dart out and shoot and jump back behind the tree. He had already killed Jem with a lucky shot and was working on Scout when Dill jumped up behind him from behind a stack of bricks--Stump turned, but it was too late.

Dill had pulled two guns on him and let him have it with both barrels.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK 

Dill shouted, “You’re dead! You’re double dead! Die!”

Stump had no choice but to die in front of Ruby.

It was a quick, quiet death. He got right up and said, “I’ve gotta go home and get some more caps. I’ll be right back.”

He had plenty of caps, but he wanted to die for real, Ruby had seen him get killed over and over.

After he left, Ruby stood up and yelled at Dill Harris, “Ya’ll aren’t playing fair. Poor Stump has only one arm and that’s not fair!”

Stump ran in the back room and threw his cap pistol across the floor and then kicked his electric train set against the wall, mad and crying with frustration. When Lena and Kara came back, there he was stomping his Erector set that he’d already smashed flat.

When he saw them, he started crying and screaming at the same time, “I can’t do anything with this thing,” and he began hitting at his missing arm.

Lena grabbed him. “What’s the matter, honey? What happened?”

“Everybody’s got double holsters but me! I can’t beat ‘em, they’ve killed me all afternoon!”

“Who?”

“Jem Finch and Dill Harris!”

Lena said, stricken, “Oh honey…”

She knew this day would come, but now that it had, she didn’t know what to say. What was there to say? How do you tell an eight-year-old boy that it would be all right? She looked to Kara for help. 

Kara stared at Stump for a minute and then got her coat, picked him up off the bed, put his coat on, and took him outside to the car. 

“Come on, mister, you’re going with me.” 

“Where are we going?”

“Never mind.”

He sat there in silence while she drove him down to the river road. When they came to a sign that said CAT AND COMPANY RIVER CLUB, she made a turn. Kara got out and opened the big wooden gates and then drove on through, down to a cabin by the river. When she got there, she blew the horn, and after a minute, a small blond woman opened the door. Stump recognized her as one of Kara's friends from the DEO.

Kara told Stump to stay in the car and she got out and went up to talk with the woman. The dog inside the house was beside itself, jumping up and down, yapping, it was so excited to see her.

Kara talked for a few minutes, and then the lady went away for a second and came back and handed Kara a rubber ball. When she opened the screen door, the little dog flew out and was about to wiggle itself to death, so glad to see her.

Kara walked down off the porch, and said, “Come on, Krypto! Come on, boy!” and threw the ball up in the air. The little white rat terrier jumped at least four feet and caught the ball in midair, and then ran back to Kara and gave it back to her. Then Kara threw the ball up against the house and Krypto jumped straight up and caught it again.

That’s when Stump noticed that the little dog only had three legs.

That dog jumped and ran after that ball for about ten minutes and never once lost its balance. After a while, Kara took the little dog back up to the house and went inside to say goodbye to the blonde woman.

Then she came back out to the car and drove down a little road, where she parked by the river.

“Stump, I want to ask you something, son.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Did that dog look like it was having a good time?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Did it look like he was happy to be alive?” 

“Yes.”

“Did it look to you like he felt sorry for himself?” 

“No, ma’am.”

“Now, you’re my son and I love you no matter what. You know that, don’t you?” 

“Yes, ma’am.”

“But you know, Stump, I’d hate like the devil to think that you didn’t have any more sense than that poor, little dumb dog we saw today.”

He looked down at the car floor. “Yes, ma’am.” 

“So I don’t want to hear anymore about what you can and can’t do, okay?” 

“Okay.” 

“And I think next week, Alex Danvers and I will take you out and teach you how to shoot a real gun.” 

“Really?”

“Really! We’re gonna make you the best darn shot in the state."

Sure enough, Stump Kent became the best shot in Midvale.

\----

A few weeks into the new year, Martha Kent came down with influenza, which grew into a real bad cough. Doc Hamilton diagnosed it as pneumonia and did the best he could, but poor Martha never did recover. Between Kara, Lena, Myriah, and J'onn, someone was always by her side those last few days. 

In the end, it was Kara sitting by her side and holding her hand. Lena and Stump were in the room, too, with Lena sitting in Martha's old rocking chair, holding Stump tight in her arms. Kara told memories of Jonathan and Clark Sr, and sang Martha's favorite gospel hymns. All three of them had tears streaming down their eyes as Martha went home to the Lord.

Half the town attended Martha Kent's funeral. They lined up around the block to pay their last respects. Martha had found a way to touch everyone's heart, one way or another. 

\-----

Kara, Lena, and Stump were all feeling quite low after Martha died. So, one Saturday, Kara and Lena took Stump's scout troop over to Avondale Park in Birmingham to pay a visit to Miss Fancy. Miss Fancy was a famous elephant who was quite popular with young and old alike. The whole troop had their picture made with her.

Once Kara put that picture of Miss Fancy the Elephant up at the cafe, Myriah and J’onn's daughter Tanya became fascinated. She would beg her daddy to take her to Avondale Park so she could see the elephant. That’s all Tanya had on her mind.

And then she took ill and stopped eating. Tanya had been sick for over a month when pneumonia set in. Doc Hamilton said if they couldn’t get her to eat, he didn’t think she could live out another week.

Lena and Kara had gone over to the J'onzz house to offer some support and comfort. They were all gathered around Tanya urging her to eat.

J’onn leaned over the bed with a bowl of oatmeal, pleading with her. “Please, won’t you eat a bite for Poppa? Just one little bite for Poppa, baby. You can have anything you want. You want us to get you a sweet kitten?”

Tanya, who was six years old and weighed only thirty-five pounds, just lay there, listless, with her eyes glazed over, and shook her head. Kim sat in the bed next to Tanya, worrying about her sister.

“You want Momma to fix you some biscuits?” Myriah said. “You want some biscuits and honey, baby?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Miss Kara and Miss Lena are here. They brought you some candy...won’t you eat a bite?”

The little girl turned her head toward the wall covered with magazine pictures and mumbled something.

Myriah leaned down. “What, baby? You say you want some biscuits?”

Tanya said, weakly, “I wanna see Miss Fancy.”

Myriah turned, with tears in her eyes. “See what I mean, Lena? She got it in her head to go see that elephant, and nothing else will do. I don't think she's going to eat until she sees Miss Fancy.”

Kara and J’onn went out on the porch and sat on the faded green tin chairs. He stared out in the yard.

“I can’t let my baby die before she sees that elephant.”

“But, J’onn, you know you can’t go in Avondale Park," Kara said, fuming. "No immigrants allowed. They just had a big Agent Liberty meeting over there the other night. If you set one foot in that gate, they'll shoot you and never think twice.”

J’onn thought it over and said, “Well then, they’re going to have to kill me, because I’d rather be dead in my grave than let anything happen to her.”

Kara knew he meant it.

The six-foot-five giant of a man, who could pick up a full-grown hog and carry it like a sack of potatoes, would do anything for his little girls. And when he came home at night, it was Tanya who would run and crawl up him like a tree and hug his neck. She could twist him around her little finger like he was the red on a barber pole. 

J'onn treated Kim and Tanya like they were the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. So the sicker Tanya became, the more Kara worried about J’onn and what he would do.

\------

Two days later, it was cold and wet after a hard rain. Stump was walking home from school down the railroad tracks, smelling the strong wet pine smoke rising up from the houses along the way. He was wearing brown corduroy pants and a leather jacket that had seen better days. He was chilled to the bone.

When he got home to the cafe, he sat by the wood stove in the back, his ears burning as they thawed out, listening to his mother.

“Honey, why didn’t you wear your hat?”

“I forgot.”

“You don’t want to get sick, do you?”

“No, ma’am.”

He was glad to see Kara come in. She went over to the closet and got her coat and asked him if he wanted to drive over to Birmingham, to Avondale Park. He jumped at the chance. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, come on then.”

Lena said, “Wait a minute. Do you have homework?”

“Just a little.”

“Do you promise to do it when you get back, if I let you go?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Kara, you’re coming right back, aren’t you?”

“Sure. I’m just gonna talk to the man.”

“Well, all right, but get your hat, Stump.”

He ran out the door. “Bye, Momma.”

Lena handed Kara his hat. “Try to get back before dark.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

They climbed into the car and headed to Birmingham.

Late that night, a frantic Lena received a phone call from Kara saying not to worry, that they were all right. She shouted, "Love you, Lee!" and quickly hung up before Lena had a chance to ask where they were.

At five forty-five the next morning, Lena and Winn were in the kitchen getting ready for the breakfast crowd. Myriah had stayed home with Tanya, who was getting worse. Lena was a nervous wreck, worrying over Stump and Kara, who had not come home yet, and wondering if she'd need to call in sick from teaching in order to keep the cafe open that day.

“She’s gonna be back,” Winn said. “You know she's not going to let anything happen to Stump.”

An hour later, while Alex Danvers and the boys were having their morning coffee, they heard a horn blowing, coming toward the cafe. Then, from far off, they heard the sound of Christmas bells jangling, getting louder and louder. They all got up to look out the window and couldn’t believe their eyes.

Next door, at Nia Nal's beauty shop, Julia Freeman was waiting for her permanent to set when she looked out the window and screamed so loud that it scared poor Nia nearly half to death.

Miss Fancy, all decked out in her leather ankle bracelets, with her bells and her bright purple feather plume, was happily strolling by the cafe, her trunk waving in the air thoroughly enjoying the scenery.

When Winn came out of the kitchen and saw the huge animal floating past the window, he blinked and rubbed his eyes a few times and then fixed himself another cup of coffee.

A second later, Stump burst into the cafe. “Momma! Momma! Come on!” And he ran out, pulling Lena behind him.

As Miss Fancy sauntered down the red dirt roads through Calvintown, doors started flying open and the air became filled with the sounds of children screaming with delight. Their dumbfounded parents, many still in robes and pajamas, with their hair still done up in rags, were speechless.

Mister Mxyzptlk, Miss Fancy’s trainer, was walking beside her. He had been in a bout with old man whiskey last night and had come out the loser. He was now wishing that the children, who were running along beside him and jumping up and down like Mexican jumping beans, screaming in loud, ear-piercing squeals, would be quiet.

He turned toward Kara, walking along with him. “Where’s she live?”

"Just follow me.”

Myriah, still in her apron, ran out of the house and yelled for J'onn. He came around the side of the house and dropped the hatchet he’d been chopping wood with, standing there for a minute, not believing what he was seeing. Then he looked at Kara and just shook his head and gave her a hug.

He went inside and carefully began wrapping the thin little girl up in a quilt. “There’s somebody who's come all the way from Birmingham to see you this morning, baby…” And he carried her onto the front porch.

When J'onn and Tanya came out, Mister Mxyzptlk nudged his wrinkled friend with a stick, and the old circus veteran sat up on her hind legs, greeting Tanya with a loud trumpet.

Tanya's eyes lit up and filled with wonder at the sight in the yard. She said, “Ohhhh, it’s Miss Fancy, Daddy...it’s _Miss Fancy_.”

Lena put her arm in Myriah’s and watched as the trainer with the hangover led the elephant to the edge of the porch. He gave Tanya a five-cent bag of peanuts and told her she could feed them to her if she wanted to.

Mally could only be seen peeking through the window. Kim, Tanya's twin sister, hid behind Myriah's legs, looking out with big saucer eyes. The other children also kept their distance from the big, gray creature the size of a house. But Tanya had no fear and fed her the peanuts, one by one, while she talked to Miss Fancy like an old friend, telling her how old she was and all about kindergarten.

Miss Fancy blinked her eyes and seemed to be listening. She took the peanuts from the little girl, one at a time, as gently as a gloved woman getting a dime out of a change purse.

Twenty minutes later, Tanya waved goodbye to the elephant and Mister Mxyzptlk began the long walk home to Birmingham. He vowed that he would never take another drink and would never, ever get involved in an all-night poker game with a stranger.

Tanya went inside and ate three buttermilk biscuits with honey.

\------

It was a late afternoon in June of 1939 when Sheriff Alex Danvers received a phone call from the Viceroy PD informing her that they had a warrant for the arrest of Kara Kent. 

A few weeks earlier, Alex's men had been looking for a possible drowning victim in a lake down by Cat Grant's place. During the search, they'd found a submerged truck with Georgia tags. Some fool must have called over to Georgia to report the vehicle and, it turns out, the truck was registered to Mr. Morgan Edge, who had gone missing in 1930. 

When she ended the call, Alex slammed the phone back down into its cradle and cursed. Then she packed up her things and went home to talk the situation over with Kelly Olsen.

"Do you think she did it?" Kelly asked after Alex had filled her in. They were in their kitchen eating dinner. Alex cut into her pork roast and shook her head.

"I don't know. Kara has a temper, that's true. And she'd do anything for Lena. But murder? I don't see it."

Kelly thought it over. "Do you think Lena did it?"

"I don't know. She certainly had cause to, after he beat her all those years. But one thing I do know, Kara would sooner face the electric chair herself than let Lena be dragged through a murder trial."

Alex took a bite but set her fork down. "I can't even eat, thinking about it. What am I supposed to do!? How can I arrest _Kara_?"

Kelly frowned, sympathetically. "What happens if you just don't do it? Don't arrest her."

Alex thought about it but shook her head. "Sooner or later someone from Georgia is going to come over here and do it themselves. And, while arresting Kara is the absolute last thing I'd ever want to do...the only thing worse would be letting someone else do it in my place."

Kelly sighed. "I guess you know what you need to do then."

Alex groaned and let her head fall forward until her forehead rested on the table. Kelly stood up to rub her shoulders.

Alex did know what she needed to do. But she decided to put it off until tomorrow. She could give her friend a few more hours of freedom, even though Kara had no idea what was waiting for her.

In the morning, Alex was going to have to tell her best friend that she was under arrest for murder.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene with Miss Fancy is copied from the novel almost verbatim. I love it so much that when I read the book I couldn't believe they left it out of the movie! I mean, logically, I realize that including the scene means they'd have to hire an elephant and, also, it doesn't really further the plot. So, I guess I understand. But the thought of Miss Fancy walking through the streets of Calvintown causing children to squeal and adults to faint makes me so happy it's half the reason I wanted to write this story... The other half is that I needed more romance between the leading ladies.
> 
> I hope you're enjoying it. Thanks for reading. And thanks, especially, for the kudos and comments!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers! If you read the previous chapter as soon as I posted it, please go back and read the very last section, starting when Alex gets the call from Viceroy. The day after I posted, I went back and added a scene with Alex and Kelly.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

June 1939

After the worst night's sleep Alex ever had, she went over to see Kara at the cafe.

Kara was at the counter refilling salt and pepper shakers.

"What's the matter, Alex? You look like your dog died."

"Worse... Yesterday, I received a warrant to arrest my best friend for murder."

Kara looked up from her salt shakers. 

"What are you talking about, Alex?"

Alex sighed and sat down next to Kara. She began to help with the pepper while Kara worked on the salt.

"A couple of weeks ago we found a truck in the lake out by Cat's. Turns out that truck belonged to Morgan Edge."

"Yeah? What's that got to do with anything?"

"Remember years ago when he went missing and that pair from Viceroy came up here asking questions, trying to figure out where he went? Well, it seems that you were the lead suspect in his disappearance. But they couldn't confirm that he ever set foot in Midvale so they didn't have any evidence against you. Thanks to that truck turning up, now they do. I'm supposed to drive you to Georgia in the morning."

Kara gaped at Alex, but she didn't say anything.

"Now, the way I figure," Alex explained carefully, "if you're not here in the morning, well, I've got more important things to do than chase down Viceroy's most wanted."

"You want me to run?" Kara asked.

Alex shook her head. "I'm not telling you what to do, just giving you options."

Kara looked around the cafe and thought it over, then she shook her head.

"I'm not going to leave, Alex. I can't take Lena and Stump to live on the run and I'm not leaving them either. Whatever happens, I'll face it."

Alex nodded and stood to leave. She gave Kara a long, tight hug. "Well, I'll be back tomorrow. Maybe I'll see you and maybe I won't. I understand either way." She hugged Kara again as if it was their last and then walked out of the cafe.

\-----

Kara waited until evening to tell Lena about her impending arrest. It did not go well.

When Kara mentioned that Alex had given her an out, that she'd have a chance to escape, Lena jumped on it and immediately started considering where they could go. Kara stopped her and said she wasn't going to run, that she was going to go to Georgia and stand trial.

That's when Lena pulled Kara into the cafe to keep their voices from waking Stump. 

She insisted, "Kara, I love you. There is no line in the universe I wouldn't cross to keep you safe. We can pack up now and move to… National City, or… Metropolis, maybe. We can go anywhere."

"Lena, we can't go on the run. Stump's got school. You've got teaching. You only just started again and I know you love it. No. We'll have the trial. It'll be fine. And, after, I can come back here and everything can go back to normal."

"It'll be fine!?! Kara, how can you say that!?! What if they find you guilty!? You could be executed!"

"I'll think of something! Alex can testify for me. She's a sheriff, that has to mean something. And I'll call Lucy Lane. She can probably help, working for the DA and all."

"She works for the DA in Alabama, not Georgia."

"Still, she probably knows people. We'll figure it out."

"That's not a plan!"

Kara could see that Lena was feeling desperate and scared, so she tried to lighten the mood.

"Look on the bright side," Kara shrugged. "Maybe I'll be in a cell next to your brother. You can visit us both at the same time!"

Lena stopped her pacing. She looked at Kara with hurt and disbelief and almost spoke but instead she turned and looked out the window. When she looked at Kara again, it was like the person inside was a million miles away. Her spine went straight, shoulders back, chin up. With perfect elegance, she walked to a booth, and alighted there, cool and distant.

 _Shit_ , thought Kara. _That was the wrong thing to say._

Kara took a deep breath and then blew it out. Her own shoulders sank. If she didn't have Lena, she didn't have anything. 

She sat down across the table from the woman she loved and took Lena's hand in hers, running a thumb across Lena's knuckles.

"I'm sorry. I love you so much. I should have come to you right away… but if we run… we'll be running from this thing for the rest of our lives. I don't want to live that way. And I can't ask you and Stump to do that. I'd much rather go to Viceroy and tell the truth. I believe in the truth. It's the right thing to do."

Lena was quiet for a long time. Kara was quiet, too. She watched their hands together on the table and continued softly stroking Lena's knuckles. She studied Lena's face...the furrow of her eyebrows, the angle of her jaw, the pout of her lips, the green of her eyes... trying to memorize her every feature and cursing herself for any moment in her life that she had ever taken Lena for granted.

Finally, Lena squeezed Kara's hand.

"Do you remember the Bible passage I sent you when I wrote from Viceroy?"

"Yeah."

"Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God… Do you know why I sent that?"

"Because… because…" Kara struggled for an answer but came up empty.

"Because I meant it. Whither thou goest, I'll go, too. But, Kara...if you go to jail...I can't follow."

Kara scooted over to Lena's side of the booth and put her arms around her. They both had tears in their eyes as Kara whispered, "I know, I know."

Eventually, Lena wiped at her own eyes and then Kara's. She gently nudged Kara out of the booth and led her off to bed. Once they laid down, Lena wrapped her arms around her friend, her lover, her bee charmer, her son's second mother and held her tightly all night long.

\-----

The next day, Alex drove Kara to Viceroy, Georgia, to stand trial for the murder of Morgan Edge.

It was quiet in the car. The air was heavy with the silence between them. Finally, Alex spoke.

"Kara, I have to ask… Did you do it? Because I would understand if you did. I just… need to know."

Kara hesitated before answering. It looked like the spirit had drained out of her.

"No, I didn't do it. I wish I'd had though."

Alex stared at Kara, long and calculating. 

"Did Lena?" Alex asked softly.

Kara didn't answer so Alex pressed the question.

"Kara.. did she?"

"I don't know! And I'm not going to ask, either. He had it coming. If she didn't... I'm glad someone did. And if she did...well, I love her just the same, either way."

Alex nodded and thought for a while. "Do you think Winn could have done it? He wouldn't have a home if it wasn't for you and Lena. He'd do anything for you two."

Kara didn't answer, she just stared out the window.

"Or Cat? The truck was found out by her place. And I don't think Cat would think twice about killing a wife beater if she had the chance."

Alex pondered it. 

"Jesus... Suddenly the whole town is filled with could-be murderers."

Kara just stared out the window.

When they pulled up outside the Viceroy jailhouse, Alex turned to Kara. 

"I remember you telling me once about the night your parents died, how they went out to confront the crowd. Do you think they knew they were going to die?"

"No, they were just doing what needed to be done. They thought they'd be right back."

Alex watched Kara's face as she waited for the parallels between Kara's situation and her parents' to sink in. When it did, Kara twisted her face in aggravation.

"Geez, Alex! Don't compare me to my parents; they were killed!"

"We can still turn around. Drive back to Alabama. I can let you out at any train station. You don't have to go to jail."

"Let's just get this over with," said Kara. And she stepped out of the car.

\---

Except for her own squeaky cot, the little jailhouse was quiet and empty. Apparently, no one else was awaiting trial in Viceroy.

Kara had been denied bail because she lived out of state and was considered a flight risk. Now she was alone with her thoughts and she did not like them.

To be honest, Kara was scared. She was on trial for murder. The death penalty was on the table. Even if they didn't kill her, if they found her guilty, she'd go away for a long, long time. Possibly forever. 

Kara shook her head and schooled her thoughts. She didn't do it. And she had to believe that meant something. Justice would prevail...at least, justice for her. Not for Morgan Edge. She was glad he was dead though. Or gone anyway, wherever he went. Lena had lived in fear of him for long enough.

She wondered if Lena had done it. Kara hoped not. Not that she would love Lena any less for it. The man had it coming. But, as stoic and confident as Lena appeared on the outside, she was vulnerable on the inside. The lives of the men her brother Lex had killed weighed heavily on her. If anybody ever died by Lena's own hand, even that evil, rotten bastard, Morgan Edge, it would eat at her for the rest of her life.

Kara sighed and loved Lena so hard that her heart ached. She missed her. Stump, too. Such a tough, sweet little guy. He had his mother's dimples. Just picturing him made Kara smile.

She leaned back into her pillow, imagining what they were doing right now. And she tried not to cry herself to sleep.

\---

It was just before a thunderstorm; the air in the courtroom was hot and thick.

Kara turned and looked around the courtroom. Lena and Stump sat in the row behind her. Lena looked smart and lovely in her black with white polka-dot day dress and her hair pinned up neatly under her hat. She was nervously twisting a necklace between her fingers -- the same necklace Kara had given Lena when she moved back home to Midvale. Stump looked handsome in his crisp white shirt, suspenders, and necktie. Alex sat next to Stump, looking impatient. Because they were immigrants, J'onn and Myriah had to sit upstairs in the balcony.

Kara's lawyer, Atticus Finch, who was the father of two of Stump's friends, loosened his tie and tried to get a breath of air.

This was the third day of the trial and all the men who had been in the barbershop in Viceroy the day Kara had threatened to kill Morgan Edge, had already testified. Bruno Mannheim, who worked for Edge and was there the day Lena left him, had just taken the stand.

She turned around again and looked for Winn Schott. Where the heck was he? Alex had sent word that Kara needed him. Something was wrong. He should have been here. 

At that moment, Bruno Mannheim pointed up to J’onn and said, “That’s him. That’s the one that came after Morgan with the knife, and that’s the woman that was with him.”

The entire Loundes County Courthouse murmured with uneasiness over a black, immigrant man threatening a white citizen. 

Not even bothering to question J’onn, the prosecuting attorney moved right on along to Kara, who took the stand.

“Did you know Morgan Edge?”

“No, sir.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You mean to sit here and tell me you never met the man whose wife, Lena Luthor, has been your business partner for nine years?”

“That’s right.”

He twirled around, with his thumbs in his vest, to face the jury. “You mean to say you never came into the Viceroy barbershop in August of nineteen twenty-eight and had a heated conversation in which you threatened to kill Morgan Edge, a man you did not know?”

“That was me all right. I thought you wanted to know if we had ever met, and the answer is no. I threatened to kill him, but we were never, what you might say, properly introduced.”

Some of the men in the room, who hated the pompous lawyer, laughed. “So, in other words, you admit that you threatened Morgan Edge’s life.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is it not true that you also came to Georgia with your hired man in September of nineteen twenty-nine and left, taking Morgan Edge’s wife and child with you?”

“Just his wife, the child came later.”

“How much later?” 

“The usual time; nine months.” 

The courtroom broke out in laughter again. 

“Is it true that you spoke against Morgan Edge’s character to his wife and made her believe that he was not of good moral fiber? Did you convince her that he was not fit as a husband?”

“No, sir, she already knew that for a fact.”

More laughter. 

The lawyer was getting heated. “Did you or did you not force her to go to Alabama with you at knifepoint?” 

“Didn’t have to. She was already packed and ready when we got there.” 

He ignored this last statement. “Is it not true that Morgan Edge came over to Midvale, Alabama, trying to retrieve what was rightly his--his wife and his tiny baby son--and you killed him to prevent her from returning to her happy home and giving the child back to its father?” 

"No, sir.” 

The large, pigeon-breasted man was picking up steam. “Are you aware that you broke up the most sacred thing on this earth--a Christian home with a loving father and mother and a man and a woman, a marriage sanctioned by God in the Morning Dove Baptist Church, right here in Viceroy, on November first, nineteen twenty-five? That you have caused a good Christian woman to break God’s laws and her marriage vows?"

“No, sir”

“I suggest that you bribed this poor weak woman with promises of money and liquor, and that she lost control of her senses, momentarily, and when her husband came back to get her and take her home, didn’t you murder him in cold blood to prevent her from returning?”

He then turned on her and screamed, “WHERE WERE YOU ON THE NIGHT OF DECEMBER THIRTEENTH NINETEEN THIRTY?” 

Kara really began to sweat. “Well, sir, I was over at my mother’s house, in Midvale. My father had recently died and we were helping her organize his things."

“Who was with you?” 

“Lena Luthor and J’onn J'onzz. He went over there with us that night.” 

“Can your mother testify to that?” 

“No, sir.”

“Why not?” 

“She died this past year.”

He was coming down the mountain now, and stood up on his tiptoes for a second and then twirled toward the jury again. 

“So, Miss Kent, you expect twelve intelligent men to believe that, although one witness is dead, one is the fallen woman who you seduced away from her good, Christian husband, and the other is an immigrant who works for you and helped you abduct Lena Luthor from her home, and is known to be a worthless, no-good lying roach, you are asking these men to take your word for it, just because you say so?” 

“That’s right, you gump-faced, blowed-up, baboon-assed bastard.”

Kara stopped herself before she continued swearing at the man in Kryptonian. He should not have called Lena or J'onn those names, but it would not do any good to let on that she was a Kryptonian immigrant and not a natural-born citizen.

The room exploded as the judge banged her gavel in vain.

The prosecutor had no further questions and her own attorney declined to question Kara for fear of another outburst.

Next, they called Lena Luthor to the stand.

Kara's stomach turned in a knot at the thought of Lena testifying. They were bound to ask why she left her husband but Lena didn't like to talk about how Morgan used to treat her. She hardly even talked about it with Kara. And, even though wife beating was illegal, a jury was just as likely to blame the woman for her abuse as they were to blame the good-for-nothing, wife-beating husband.

And then there was the matter of Kara and Lena's relationship. In Midvale they were accepted and welcome. Kara had walked her own path almost since coming to live with the Kent's. Maybe that's why no one was surprised when Lena and Kara moved in together. More likely, it was because everyone in town had so much fondness and respect for Jonathan and Martha Kent that when they welcomed Lena as a daughter-in-law, everyone else just followed suit. Whatever the reason, for the folks in Midvale, Kara and Lena loved each other and that was that. 

But the folks of Viceroy were not likely to be welcoming. They didn't know Kara. They certainly didn't know Martha Kent. They were a bigger town and had things like appearances and a misguided sense of decency to uphold. So, while Lena could not be honest about why she left Morgan Edge, neither could she be upfront about why she went to live with Kara. The situation was impossible.

Kara crossed her fingers and said a quick prayer to Rao as Lena settled into the witness stand. Mentally, she tried to shower Lena with love and confidence and peace.

The prosecutor began.

"Did you know you were pregnant at the time you left Viceroy?"

"No."

"And, when you found out that you would be having a baby, how did the defendant, Kara Kent, prevent you from returning to your husband?"

"She didn't need to. I wouldn’t raise my child with Morgan Edge."

"But, why? Did this woman promise you money?"

"No."

"A bigger home?"

"No."

"Then tell us. Why would a respectable Christian woman go anywhere with this woman of questionable character and ill repute?"

It was a rhetorical question. The prosecutor kept right on talking and did not allow Lena to answer. His voice began to garble in her mind. She looked at Kara and was flooded with fond memories. She pictured Kara standing on the front porch of the Edge home, brave and determined, ready to carry Lena away. She saw Kara by her side singing silly songs as Clark Jr was born. She thought back to their picnic so long ago, with Kara offering her a jar of wild honey, both of them young and in love, with no idea what the future would hold.

The man wrapped up his tirade, but Lena was still lost in thought.

“Answer the question Miss Luthor,” the judge gently called her attention back to the courtroom.

The prosecutor repeated himself, " _Why_ did you leave with Kara Kent that day?"

“Because she,” Lena started, but stopped and tried again. She looked right at Kara, “She’s the best friend I ever had… and I love her.”

“Thank you Miss Luthor. That will be all.”

Lena had handled interrogation gracefully, but it was not enough. The trial did not look good for Kara, and when the surprise witness was rushed into the courtroom on that last day, she knew it had just gone from bad to worse. He came sweeping through the courtroom as pious and holier-than-thou-looking than ever. Her old sworn enemy, the man she had tormented for years. 

This is it, she thought.

“State your name, please.”

“Reverend Samuel Lane. 

“Occupation?” 

“Pastor of the Midvale Baptist Church.” 

“Place your right hand on the Bible.” 

Reverend Lane informed the deputy that he had brought his own, thank you, and placed his hand on his Bible and swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help him God. 

Kara became confused. It had been her own lawyer who had brought Lane in. Why had he not asked her first? She could have told him that this man would have nothing good to say about her. 

But it was too late, he was already on the stand. 

“Reverend Lane, could you tell the court why you called me long distance and what you told me last evening?” 

The Reverend cleared his throat. “Yes, I called to tell you that I have information about the whereabouts of Kara Kent on the night of December thirteenth, nineteen thirty.” 

“Was she not over at her mother’s house that evening, as has been suggested here earlier in the trial?”

“No, she was not.” 

Oh, _shisir_ , thought Kara. 

Her lawyer persisted. “Are you saying, Reverend Lane, that she was lying as to her whereabouts on that evening?” 

The reverend pursed his lips. “Well, sir, as a Christian, I couldn’t say for sure if she was lying or not. I think it is a question of being mixed up about the dates.” He then opened the Bible he had and turned to the back and began looking at a particular page. 

“It has been my habit through the years to write down all the dates of the activities of the church in my Bible, and while going through it the other evening, I saw that the night of December thirteenth was the start of our church’s yearly tent revival, down at the Baptist campgrounds. And Sister Kent was there, she was in charge of refreshments--just as she has been every year for the past fifteen years.”

The prosecuting attorney jumped up. “I object! This doesn't mean anything. The murder could have taken place anytime during the next couple days.” 

Reverend Lane looked fiercely at him, then turned to the judge, “That’s just it, Your Honor, our revival always lasts for three days and three nights.”

The lawyer said, “And you’re _sure_ Miss Kent was there?” 

Reverend Lane seemed offended that anyone would doubt his word. “Of course she was.” He addressed the jury. “Sister Kent holds a perfect attendance record at all our church activities and is the lead singer in our church choir.”

For the first time in her life, Kara was speechless, dumb, mute, without a comeback. All these years the DEO had spent lying and telling tall tales, thinking they were so good at it, and in five minutes Lane had put them all to shame. He was so convincing, she almost believed him, herself. 

“In fact, we think so much of Sister Kent at our church, the entire congregation has come over in a bus to testify on her behalf.” 

The doors of the courtroom opened and in filed the oddest lot that God had ever put together on this earth: Winn Schott, Barry the Flash Allen, Aquaman Art, Ollie the Arrow, Canary Lance, Heat Wave Mick Rory, Firestorm Jackson, Hawkgirl Saunders, and so on… all with fresh haircuts from Nia Nal’s Beauty Shop and wearing borrowed clothes...just a few of the many hobos Kara and Lena had fed through the years whom Winn had been able to round up in time. 

One by one, they took the stand and testified solidly, remembering in great detail the river revival that December, back in 1930. And last, but not least, came sister Cat Grant, wearing a flowered hat and carrying a purse. She took the stand and almost broke the jury’s heart as she recalled how Sister Kent had leaned over to her during the first night of the revival meeting and had remarked how God had touched her heart that night, due to Reverend Lane's inspired preaching on the evils of whiskey and the lusts of the flesh. 

The judge didn't even bother to ask the jury for the verdict. She banged her gavel and said to the prosecuting attorney, “Mitchell, it doesn’t look to me like you’ve got a case at all. First of all, there's no body. We don't even know that there's been a murder. Second, we've got sworn witnesses whom no one is going to dispute. What we've got here is a whole lot of nothing. It looks to me like Morgan Edge got drunk, drove into a lake, and after nine and a half years, the poor man's remains were long ago eaten up. We’re going to call this a case of accidental death.”

She banged her gavel once more, saying, “Case dismissed.” 

Myriah and J'onn said prayers of thanks from the balcony, Alex let out a sigh of relief. Lena and Stump hugged each other and then hugged Kara. 

The judge, the Honorable Kate Beckett, knew damn well that there had not been any three-day tent revival in the middle of December. And from where she was sitting, she had also seen that the preacher did not have a Bible between the covers of the book he had sworn on, but a copy of _Moby Dick_. She had seldom seen such a scrubbed-up lot of down and dirty characters. 

However, during her time as a detective, she had heard enough rumors about Morgan Edge forcing himself on young women that she really didn’t care who had killed the son of a bitch. If Kara Kent was guilty -- a point which had not been proven -- she had done the world a favor.

After it was all over, Reverend Lane came over and shook Kara’s hand. “I’ll see you in church Sunday, Sister Kent.” He winked at her and left.

It turns out that after Lucy Lane heard about Kara's arrest in Viceroy, she called her father, the Reverend, and explained that they owed Kara a favor.

Shortly after finishing college Lucy had been celebrating with some friends over in Birmingham. They got drunk and started throwing water balloons out the hotel's seventh-floor window. Only, Lucy had filled some balloons with ink, and one of those balloons had hit the wife of a big wig city councilman as they were on their way to a gala.

When Lucy got arrested, she called Kara from jail, and Kara drove all the way over to Birmingham to get her. She paid $200 to get Lucy out of jail and another $200 to take Lucy’s name off the books, so she wouldn’t have a police record and so her father would not find out.

When Lucy heard that Kara needed help, she called her father and they worked out a plan. The Reverend Lane, whom Kara had bedeviled all these years, had come through for her.

Kara was floored by the whole thing for quite a time. But, driving home, she did manage to say, “You know, I’ve been thinking. I don’t know what’s worse--going to jail or having to be nice to the preacher for the rest of my life.”

\---

When they got back to Midvale, Lena and Kara threw a party at the cafe to celebrate Kara's homecoming. Stump, Kim and Tanya, Jem and Scout, and Ruby Arias were all running around outside. Inside, there was J'onn, Myriah, and Mally, Alex and Kelly, Winn Schott, Cat Grant, Lois Lane, Nia Nal and Querl Dox, Atticus Finch, Flash Allen, Ollie the Arrow, and Canary Lance. They even invited the Reverend Lane, though to everyone's relief, he politely declined.

Cat Grant brought several bottles of champagne and after it was poured, J'onn J'onzz raised a toast, "To Kara," he said. But Kara interrupted him.

"No, to family… I don't have anyone living anymore who's a blood relative... That's true for a lot of us here. But love bonds us all. Love makes us family and you all really came through for me. Thank you. So...to family!"

Later, Kara pulled Lena aside into a quiet corner. "Thank you," she said as she threaded their fingers together. "I know it wasn't easy for you to let me go to Viceroy… I missed you so bad. And I… I was scared, too. But I had to do it. I have to do right by you and Stump because...you, _Leena,te,_ are everything to me. And I want to live in a way that makes you proud to be with me. I love you."

Lena's heart turned to mush. She hated and loved that Kara still had that effect on her. Kara brushed a thumb over Lena's cheek and asked, "And, did I mention that you're really, really pretty?"

Lena rolled her eyes and blushed.

"You, Kara Kent, are nothing but a bee charmer."

And then Lena grabbed a fistful of Kara's shirt and pulled her in for a kiss.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kryptonian:
> 
>  _shisir_ = damn
> 
>  _Leena,te_ = my Lena


	12. Chapter 12

September 2020

Linda Kent Binder was driving east on I-20 and listening to her teenage sons complain. 

"Why do we have to go to a retirement home? It's going to be boring."

They had driven down to Birmingham so her son Jerry could do a college tour of Vandyre University. Her younger son Joe had come along for the ride. Now, before returning home to Nashville, they were going to visit the Rose Terrace Nursing Home.

"C'mon, we're not in Birmingham very often and you haven't seen your great grandparents since you were in preschool. They'll be so happy to see you. And you're going to love Grandpa Stump and Grandma Ruby."

Joe couldn't remember ever meeting his great grandparents, but then, he didn't remember much from preschool.

"Why do you call him Grandpa Stump? Is that short for something?" 

Linda laughed. "No, his name's Stump because when he was a kid his arm got cut off in an accident."

Joe's mouth dropped open in shock. 

"Oh my God, Mom! And you call him STUMP!?!? Isn't that, like, insensitive to handicapped people?"

Jerry looked up from his phone. "Actually, I don't think you're supposed to say handicapped, isn't it differently abled?"

"Person with a disability -- the person comes first. But don't tell Grandpa Stump he has a disability, he'll insist that he doesn't. To be fair, I've never seen anything that a two-armed person can do that Grandpa Stump can't do, too."

"Still, isn't it rude to call him Stump?" Joe persisted.

"Maybe?" Linda shrugged. "But it's what he's always been called. Even Grandma Ruby calls him that... when she doesn't call him Darlin'. His real name is Clark. I guess you can ask him what he prefers. Or you could just call him Grandpa."

When they arrived at the nursing home, Jerry and Joe spent a few minutes looking at the big aquarium in the lobby while Linda signed the visitors' log. The receptionist told Linda the room number for Stump and Ruby Kent but said she would most likely find them in the lounge watching the Braves game with a few other residents.

That's where they found them. Ruby and Stump sat side by side on one of the couches. They looked more frail than Linda had remembered, but then, she hadn't seen them in years. Ruby had her hair pulled back in a long braid and topped off with a Metropolis Meteors ball cap. Stump was wearing a short-sleeved button down with his glasses case clipped to the pocket. There were about ten other residents and visitors relaxing in the lounge and watching the game.

Ruby lit up when she saw Linda and the boys coming down the hall. Hugs were exchanged, introductions made, and then they moved across the hall to the dining room to keep from interrupting the folks watching the baseball game.

The florescent light of the dining room brought out surprising highlights to Ruby's hair. "Grandma?" Asked Linda. "Is your hair _purple_?"

"Why, yes it is! The beauty school sends students over twice a month to practice what they've learned." Ruby took off her hat to show her hair a little better. "Do you like it?"

Linda nodded politely, but Jerry answered with genuine appreciation, "I think it's badass."

"JOE!" Linda scolded. 

"Oh, don't worry. 'Badass' is exactly the look I was going for," Ruby said, with a wink for Jerry. Then she eyed the box in Linda's hands. "Now, what do we have here?"

Linda and the boys had stopped at the Piggly Wiggly on the way to Rose Terrace and bought an apple pie. Linda set the box and some paper plates on the table and began serving up slices. 

Stump bit into his slice of pie with a hum of appreciation. "Oh, this is good. Not as good as Myriah's, but pretty good."

"Oh Lordy, Darlin', you say that every time. You're never going to find anyone who cooks as good as Myriah did, so stop comparing everything you eat to hers."

"You know me too well." And kissed her on the cheek.

Linda explained to her boys, "When your Grandpa Stump was growing up his family ran a cafe. They say the cook there was legendary."

Stump nodded, "She was, too. You've never tasted anything like Myriah J'onzz's cooking. Her dumplings were so light, they could float in the air."

"Some days you'd have to catch 'em to eat 'em!" Added Ruby, and then she and Stump both laughed as if it was an old joke.

"The cafe is still open you know," said Stump. "Myriah's granddaughter runs it now. Do yourself a favor on the way home and stop by The Midvale Cafe out on McCrackin Street. It's a bit out of your way, but you won't regret it."

Ruby agreed, "We've raved about it so much that now Rose Terrace takes a bus out there once a month for the Sunday brunch. The blueberry chocolate chip pancakes are my favorite."

They all sat and enjoyed the pie for a few moments when Stump noticed Joe's shirt, which had a big Superman emblem on it.

"Superman, huh? He's alright. Did your momma ever tell you that we once knew a real-life superhero?"

Joe looked doubtful. "You mean like a doctor or a firefighter or something?"

"No, I'm talking about Railroad Bill. You never heard of Railroad Bill?"

Linda smiled at Ruby. She had heard this story a hundred times and knew Stump loved to tell it.

"Railroad Bill was the real deal," began Stump. "It was back in the Depression. Everyone struggled just to put enough food on the table in those days. But the folks across the tracks in Calvintown really had it bad. That was the immigrant town near where I grew up in Midvale. In those days people were real suspicious of immigrants, even outright cruel. They couldn't work regular jobs. Couldn't buy good homes. The deck was stacked against them alright. If it wasn't for Railroad Bill, that town wouldn't have survived the Depression. There's no telling how many lives he saved."

"So, he was a railroad guy?" Jerry was getting interested. "How does a railroad guy save lives?"

"Not just a railroad guy. In fact, the railroads hated him. No, Railroad Bill was a bandit. He would sneak on the government supply trains and throw stuff off for the people living in Calvintown and other immigrant towns...canned food and coal and all that. Then he’d jump off before they could catch him. This went on for years, and pretty soon folks started telling stories about him. I heard someone swear they saw him fly one time, flew right off a train. And people figured he must have had x-ray vision or something. That's how he knew what was on the train and how he could always get away when the police were coming. Hardly anybody ever saw him, but people that did, say he wore a long black coat, with a black stocking cap on his head. They even made up a song about him. And every Sunday in church, they’d pray for Railroad Bill, to keep him safe."

Stump chuckled and sighed and then continued his story. 

“But the railroad hated him alright. They even put a huge reward up, for information leading to his arrest."

Ruby chimed in, "It was a wasted effort. Not a person in Midvale would have turned him in, even if they had known who he was. They were either too proud, too scared, or too fascinated by him. Railroad Bill was the talk of the town."

Stump went on, "Everybody wondered and made guesses. I got in my head that Railroad Bill was Mally J'onzz, our cook’s son. He was about the right size and as fast as a speeding bullet. I followed him around night and day, but I could never catch him. I must have been around ten years old at the time, and I would have given anything to have seen him in action, so I would have known for sure. Boy was I surprised when I found out who it really was!

“One morning, right around daybreak, I woke up early and had to go to the toilet. I was about half asleep and when I got to the bathroom there was Momma and my Aunt Kara in there, with the sink running. Momma looked at me, surprised, and said, ‘Wait a minute, honey,’ and pushed the door closed, right on my face. 

“I said, ‘Hurry up, Momma, I can’t wait!’ You know how a kid’ll do. I heard them talking and pretty soon they came out, and Aunt Kara's face was pink from scrubbing and she was still drying her hands and face. When I got in there, the sink was full of coal dust. And on the floor, behind the door, was a black stocking hat.

"Why, you could have knocked me over with a feather once I put it all together. I suddenly figured out why I’d seen Aunt Kara and Alex Danvers, the railroad detective, always whispering. Old Alex Danvers had been the one who was tipping her off about the train schedules...it had been my Aunt Kara jumping them trains, all along.” 

Linda said, “Oh Grandpa, are you sure that’s true?” 

“Of course it’s true. Aunt Kara did all kinds of wild things.” He asked, “Did I ever tell you what she did that time old Querl Dox and Nia Nal got married and went on their honeymoon at a big hotel in Birmingham?” 

“No, I don’t think so.” 

Ruby said, “Darlin'! Don’t be telling that story in front of the children.” 

“It’s fine, I won't say anything too scandalous," Stump added, with a waggle of his eyebrows and flash of dimples.

Ruby rolled her eyes, and Stump continued, "Anyway, old Brainy, that's what everybody called him, was a member of the DEO, this crazy club that Aunt Kara had started. And right after Brainy's wedding, Aunt Kara and that bunch got in a car and drove over to Birmingham as fast as they could, and bribed the hotel clerk into letting them into the honeymoon suite. They put all kinds of funny stuff all over the bed… God knows what all…”

Ruby warned him, “Stump…” 

He laughed. “Hell, I don’t know what it was. Anyway, they got in the car and came back home, and when Brainy and Nia got back, they asked Brainy how he liked his honeymoon suite at the Redmont, only to find out they had been at the wrong hotel! Some poor honeymoon couple had gotten the shock of their lives.”

Ruby shook her head. “Can you imagine such a thing?”

Jerry was laughing out loud. "Is that true?"

Ruby reluctantly nodded.

“Of course it’s true. Aunt Kara was always getting into a bit of trouble like that...but how anybody ever thought she killed a man is beyond me."

"What!?!" Jerry and Joe asked simultaneously.

"Oh, yeah. She was tried for murder way back in '39. She was found not guilty, of course. But I think my momma went to her grave thinking Aunt Kara had done it and Kara thought the same thing about Momma. They were both too protective of the other to ever bring it up."

Jerry had to know more. "So they didn't do it but they thought the other had? Did you ever find out who did it?"

All three visitors were on the edge of their seats, not even Linda had heard this one.

"Oh yeah, but it wasn't until after they both had died. Aunt Kara's health started going downhill in her eighties, but she was so in love with Momma that Kara just refused to die and leave her all alone. Momma lived until she was 89. Aunt Kara died just two days later and it didn't surprise anyone. That's just the way they were."

The grandkids waited expectantly for Grandpa Stump to finish the story, but he seemed to have lost his train of thought.

Jerry was exasperated. "What about the murder though, Grandpa? Who got killed? And who REALLY did it?"

"Oh, you don't want to hear about that do you? The gory details?"

"Grandpa! Yes!!!"

Stump laughed. "Well, if you insist. The man who got killed was a fella named Morgan Edge. I never met him -- all this happened when I was just a baby -- but my momma had been married to him. He was a cruel man and Momma left him after four years of marriage. That's when she moved to Midvale to live with Kara and then I was born.

"You remember, I mentioned Mally, the cook's--"

Joe cut him off. "The cook's-- son!?!? Mally did it!?!"

"No, no. But Mally saw who did. He knew all this time. And after Momma and Aunt Kara died, he wanted to tell me. It was a heavy burden, I guess."

"Well, so who did it?" Asked Linda. "What happened!?"

"All this happened when I was just a baby, so I don't remember any of it. But Mally says the night Morgan Edge died, Momma and Kara had gone over to my Grandma's house to help her out. Grandpa had just died and they had gone over to help sort through his things. Mally's daddy, J'onn J'onzz was there, too. He helped them box up some clothes and things and then he took the boxes over to Calvintown for the poor folks at his church.

"Myriah had come down to babysit me and she brought along Mally, who must have been about eleven years old at that time. Myriah's twin girls, Kim and Tanya, weren't even born yet. Well, it got kind of late and Mally fell asleep listening to a radio show.

"Then, out of nowhere, this man kicked the door open. He was angry and drunk and Mally had never seen the fellow before. But he busted in and pointed a shotgun right at Myriah and he started walking over to the crib where I was sleeping. Myriah tried to get to me before the man did but he just grabbed her by the back of the dress and threw her across the room. 

"She jumped back up again and ran at him, yelling, 'You leave that baby alone!' 

“'Get away from me, you dirty roach!' He says and he slammed her with the broad side of his gun, hitting her so hard that he knocked her out cold.

"All this time -- which was only a matter of seconds -- Mally was frozen in place. But seeing his Momma on the floor, he jumped up and ran to her while the stranger picked me up and headed out the back door.

"Well, you can just imagine how Mally must have cried and shook his momma. It was enough to wake her up again. She grabbed the skillet, which was still out from dinner, and set out to get me, whatever it took. 

"There was a new moon that night. Just enough light for Mally to see the man as he laid me down on the front seat of his truck. Then he walked around to the driver's side and when he went to open the door, that's when Myriah stepped up behind him and slammed that five-pound skillet down on his head."

Linda, Jerry, and Joe all gasped at the thought. Ruby already knew the story, but every time she thought about it, she had to shudder at how close she'd come to losing Stump before she'd even met him. 

Stump was quiet for a moment and then he continued, "Mally says Myriah didn't say a single thing, just scooped me up and headed back inside. And Morgan Edge never moved again. Mally, himself, just stood there gaping until Myriah stuck her head outside and said, 'Mal, you need to run home and get Daddy. Bring him back here as soon as you can.'

"Well, poor Mally ran so fast over to Calvintown that by the time he got home he could barely breathe, much less explain what'd happened. It was too terrible to speak of anyway. But he got his daddy to follow him back to the cafe and when they got there Myriah was standing in the yard. She came over and whispered to J'onn, explaining what had happened. J'onn leaned down and felt the man's arm, then he stood up again, shaking his head. He looked up at the stars and prayed for guidance.

"They couldn't go to the police. No one would accept a colored immigrant killing a white, American-born citizen. Myriah would have been lynched before they ever got to trial, and probably J'onn and Mally, too. So J'onn did what he had to do. He picked up the man's body, threw it over his shoulder, and hid it in the wood shed. Then he and Mally took the truck all the way out to the river club and drove it into a lake. When they got back to the shed, it was almost sunup. J’onn pulled off the man's clothes and told Mally to go way out in the woods and bury the clothes, deep. And then to go home and say nothing. To nobody. Anywhere. Ever.

"That morning J’onn started slaughtering hogs and boiling water in the big black iron pot to make barbeque for the cafe. Mally came back once he'd finished his task and he nearly fainted when Sheriff Alex Danvers and two detectives from Georgia came to question J'onn about the missing man. One of them came over and looked right in the pot. Mally was sure they had seen Morgan Edge's arm bobbing up and down among the boiling hogs. But evidently, they hadn’t because, two days later, the Georgia man told J’onn that it was the best barbecue he had ever eaten, and asked him what his secret was. J’onn just smiled and said, 'Thank you, sir, I’d have to say the secret’s in the sauce.'"

Linda, Jerry, and Joe, all three had a look of horror on their faces. Linda asked, without really wanting to know, "Are you saying they cooked him in the barbeque, Grandpa?"

Jerry and Joe were making soft gagging noises as Stump replied, "That's how Mally told it." Then he shrugged, "Like I said, I was too young to remember."

"But how come your aunt went to trial for the murder?" Jerry wanted to know. "What did she have to do with it?"

"Oh, bless your heart, she wasn't really my aunt," explained Stump. "I called her that because there wasn't another word for it. She and Momma were in love. That's one reason Momma left Morgan Edge. The other is how violent he was. When Kara found out he'd been abusing Momma, well, Kara threatened to kill him. Right in the middle of town, in front of all kinds of witnesses. That's why everybody thought she'd done it. But without a body, there wasn't any proof. The judge threw out the charges."

"Wait," started Jerry. "Your mom was married to Morgan Edge and then she left him to live with Kara?" 

Stump nodded.

"And then you were born?"

Stump nodded again.

"Does that mean... he's your…?"

Stump stopped him. "He's not my father, he was never a father to me. I do have his blood, but blood doesn't make you family, love does. It's _love_ which bonds us, it's _love_ that makes a family, that's what Kara used to say.

"You know, one time Aunt Kara told me about magnificent beings on this earth, walking around posing as humans. She was talking about my momma. She wanted me to realize how strong and brave my momma was and she said I should never forget it. But I truly believe Kara might just as well have been talking about herself that day. She was always doing things her own way. And there was never a soul in need that she didn't find a way to help... not that she'd ever let you know though. Magnificent being walking around posing as human. That was Aunt Kara alright."

Everyone was quiet for a moment and then Ruby cleared her throat. "Goodness, you all have come for a visit and all we've done is talk your ears off with old stories. Tell us about you! How was your college visit?"

Linda, Jerry, and Joe talked all about their day at Vandyre. They told Stump and Ruby about high school and work and how their summer was. Joe mentioned that last month their dad had taken the boys on a fishing trip.

"Did you catch anything?" Asked Stump.

"We did okay, mostly trout," said Jerry.

"Stump," said Ruby, "tell them about the catfish you used to catch down at the Warrior River.” 

Stump’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Oh well. You wouldn’t believe how big those catfish were. I remember one day, it was raining and I got a bite so hard, it slid me right down the bank and I had to fight to not be pulled into the water. Lightning was striking and I was fighting for my life, but after about four hours, I pulled that grandaddy mud cat out of the water and, I tell you, he must have weighed twenty pounds or more, and he was this long…” 

Stump held out his one arm.

The two boys sat there trying to figure out how long the catfish was.

Linda shook her head, exasperated. “Oh Grandpa.”

Ruby just cackled with laughter.

It was getting late and Linda and the boys still had a three-hour drive back to Nashville, so they all stood up and started saying their goodbyes. It was another half an hour before they were really on their way.

As they walked back to the car Jerry asked his mom, "Do you think I could come back and visit Grandpa Stump and Grandma Ruby if I go to Vandyre?"

"You know, I think they'd really like that."

As Linda started the car, Joe called out from the back seat, "Hey, can we stop at that cafe before we go home?"  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left!!! Plot development is officially finished but there are still a few fun things in store for the epilogue. :-)


	13. Chapter 13

Epilogue

On December 7, 1941, all Americans -- citizens and immigrants alike -- were stunned when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. By the next day, the country was at war.

Mally J'onzz was the first in line at the Army Recruiting Station. He got sent to the Tuskegee Army Air Field, trained as a pilot, and flew missions over Sicily and Northern Africa. Winslow Schott enlisted and served in the Pacific. Kelly Olsen got called up for duty with the Army Nurse Corps. 

For some time, Kelly had been suspecting that her relationship with Alex Danvers had become one of convenience. Kelly loved Alex, but they weren't _in love_. Alex had always been there and it was hard to imagine a world without her. But on the cusp of being shipped off to war, the prospect of continuing their relationship felt wrong. She didn't know what adventures awaited her, or how long she'd be gone, or even if she'd ever return. And to leave Alex behind, waiting, was unfair. Alex deserved to have her own adventures, not to be left behind. So, before Kelly shipped out, she broke things off with Alex.

A little bit sad, a little bit scared, but excited to serve her country and see the world, Kelly set out for Northern Africa and the Mediterranean.

Alex Danvers did not see the breakup coming. She had always assumed that she and Kelly were forever. But she didn't want to make Kelly's departure any more painful or stressful than it had to be. Who knew what would happen while Kelly was on the front lines? She didn't want their last memory together to be a fight. So, Alex buried her emotions, accepted Kelly's wishes, and kept a brave face until Kelly shipped out. Then she crumbled. 

Life had just ripped out a piece of her soul. Alex went back and forth between feeling like an idiot for not realizing how Kelly felt and feeling like a jerk for not paying attention. Most of all, she missed Kelly. And it seemed the rest of her life would be made up of lonely nights.

Kara and Lena did their best to cheer Alex up. They invited her along to everything they did as a family. It was hard to be around their happy family though. 

And then, as Stump started spending more time with Ruby Arias, Alex got to know Ruby's momma, Sam. Sam and Ruby had moved to Midvale from Metropolis after Ruby's father died. She was beautiful and smart and brave and strong and, little by little, something happened which Alex never saw coming. She fell in love...with a Yankee.

Meanwhile, Kelly tended to the Allied troops in field hospitals throughout Tunisia, Italy, and France. About two years into her deployment, she met a field commander named Diana Prince. When they met, Diana was broken-hearted over the death of her fiance, Steve Trevor, who had been killed on the front lines. They spent hours and hours talking about the horrors they'd seen during the war, about their childhoods, and about their dreams for the future. When the war finally came to an end, Kelly followed Diana home to the island of Themyscira. Kelly always joked afterward that she was Diana's war bride.

Winn returned home to Midvale and helped to start an American Legion post. He got married and had a baby girl.

Mally came home and continued to serve with the Air Force. J'onn J'onzz was just about the proudest daddy in all Alabama.

The Cat and Company River Club was the place to be during the post-war festivities. Music and dancing lasted all night and day. One evening a stranger walked into the club. He was tall, dark, and handsome, in love with jazz music, and when he got drunk, he bought the whole joint several rounds of top-shelf gin. Cat was intrigued.

It turned out, he was Prince Cyrus, crown prince of the Kingdom of Medes. He was enjoying himself on a world tour after the deprivations of war. Cat married him within the year.

When the king died in 1952 and Prince Cyrus ascended the throne, Cat took on a new title, Queen of All Media.

A few years later, Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Morocco and became Princess Grace. Cat took Grace under her wing. The two became good friends and often sat together during UN summits, insulting dictators behind their backs or, in Cat's case, directly to their faces.

Cat sold the river club to Lois Lane and Lois began writing newspaper articles to promote the bands who performed there. She eventually started a regular music column in The Birmingham News and went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for a series on jazz which she wrote for Rolling Stone Magazine.

Once Morgan Edge's disappearance was declared an accidental death, Lena was cleared to inherit the Edge estate. She used the money to finish her college degree and then she went ahead and earned a master's and two PhDs, as well. She became a professor at Vandyre University.

After Stump and Ruby got married and moved away from Midvale, Kara and Lena sold the cafe to Kim J'onzz, who had always loved working next to her mother in the kitchen and had picked up all Myriah's recipes. They bought a camper and every summer, when Lena wasn't teaching, they travelled the country setting up stands at festivals and farmer's markets. They sold jars of wild honey and whimsical metal artworks -- figurines, wine bottle holders, and garden decor -- which they made together out of nuts, bolts, springs, old tools, and scrap metal. 

Once for Kara's birthday, Lena gave Kara a sign which read, "An old bear and his honey live here." They used a wood-burning pen to cross out the "his" and wrote "her" and hung it on the back of the camper. They both loved it. 

Inspired, Kara gave Lena a sign which read, "If this camper's a rockin' don't come a knockin'." Lena loved that sign a bit less. She hid it in a drawer and never let Kara hang it up. She kept it in the drawer though and laughed and rolled her eyes every time she saw it.

Streaky lived a long life. He was fat and happy, always supplementing his nuts and berries with treats found on the Kent's back porch. He had lots and lots of babies. In fact, every raccoon in Alabama today can trace its lineage back to Streaky Kent. 

  
  


\-----

July 1966

Kara and Lena had a booth set up at the National City Art and Wine Festival. Metal sculptures were set up on their shelves along with jars of honey and beeswax candles. The sun was shining hot, but an ocean breeze kept the air comfortable. They could hear the music from the festival stage and Kara had been singing along, serenading Lena to a cover of "I Got You Babe."

A man and a woman came into the booth with their daughter, about 6 years old, and began to peruse their wares. 

"Oh, Patsy, look at this!" said the woman, then she turned to her husband. "Bill, do you think your dad would like it?"

It was a little sculpture of a fisherman tilted back on his heels, trying to reel in a large catch at the end of his pole. The pole and the fish hung over the table edge and kept the fisherman in balance when you rocked him.

Bill looked up and nodded apathetically. "It's cute," he said.

Patsy gave the little fisherman a tap and watched, wide eyed, as he fought to reel in the fish. He and the fish wrestled back and forth, but the fisherman never lost his balance or tumbled over the table's edge. Patsy smiled and tapped it again.

"I think I'm going to get it," the woman decided. "We can give it to your dad for Father's Day."

When Kara came over to wrap up the little sculpture, she knelt down to speak to the girl.

"You know, this reminds me of a fish I caught just last week. It was so big we couldn’t pull it out of the water.”

“Really?”

Kara’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, yes indeed. As a matter of fact, that catfish was so big, we took a picture of it, and the picture alone weighed forty pounds.”

The little girl cocked her head to one side, trying to figure it out. “Are you _sure?_ ”

“Sure I’m sure. But if you don’t believe me…” She turned around and called over to Lena, “Hey, Lena! Go in the trailer and bring me that picture of the catfish we caught last week.”

Lena shook her head. “No way! You know that picture's too heavy. I'm liable to throw out my back…”

“See, I told you.”

Bill laughed and paid for the sculpture and the little girl moved on to look at some jars of honey lined up on the shelf.

She pointed to one and asked, “What’s in that jar?”

“Why, that’s honeycomb, right out of the hive. Haven’t you ever seen that before?”

She was fascinated. “No ma’am.”

They were about to go when the girl pulled at her mother’s dress. “Momma, can we please get a jar of honey?”

“Sweetheart, we’ve got plenty of honey at home.”

“Please, Momma, we don’t have any with honeycomb. Please?”

The woman looked at her daughter for a moment and then gave in. She turned to Kara, “How much is the honey?”

“The honey? Well, let’s see.” Kara started counting on her fingers, and then said, “You’re not gonna believe this, but you hit it lucky, because today...it’s absolutely free.”

The girl’s eyes got wide. “ _Really?”_

“That’s right.”

The woman said, “Oh, I'd feel terrible not paying you anything. Won’t you let me give you a little something, at least?”

Kara shook her head. “No, it’s free. You won it, fair and square. You don’t know this, but your little girl, here, just happens to be my one millionth customer this month.”

“I AM?”

“That’s right. My one millionth.”

The woman smiled. “Well, if you insist. Patsy, what do you say?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!" Kara said and sat down in her folding chair.

As the family walked on to the next booth, Lena called over to Kara.

"Kara, dear, how are we supposed to make a profit if you are always giving stuff away for free?"

“Who needs a profit?” Kara said. “Listen, money will kill you, you know that. Why, just today, a man came here and told me about his uncle, who had a good-paying job working up at the national mint making money for the government, and everything was going fine until one day he pulled the wrong lever and was crushed to death by seven hundred pounds of dimes."

Lena's eyes sparkled even as she rolled them. "You are ridiculous."

Kara gave a slow grin, "Yeah…but you love me."

Lena sighed and sat down in Kara's lap. 

"I guess I must," she said, dryly. "That explains why I let you stick around all the time."

Kara beamed. "Yeah, and I'm awfully lucky for it, too. Since you're the light of my life and all."

Lena tried to repress a grin, but soon gave up and kissed Kara on the cheek, "You old bee charmer."

Then she leaned in and kissed Kara some more.

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! Made it to the end! And Kara and Lena are happily ever after. Yay!!! ♥️♥️♥️
> 
> Thanks again for reading and for all the kudos and comments. It has been great hearing from you.
> 
> I'm on Tumblr @ schaefjc if you ever want to say hi.


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